4 Years Delay, Rs. 4,000 Cr Loss To Metro: Congress

Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) chief Uttam Kumar Reddy accused the TRS government of delaying the Hyderabad Metro Rail project by almost four years just to avoid the previous Congress government from getting credit for it, and in the process causing a loss of nearly Rs. 4,000 crores to the State's exchequer.

Speaking to media persons after inspecting the Metro Rail works along with other Congress leaders on Wednesday, Reddy said that the previous Congress regime had started the project in 2008, and it was scheduled to become fully operational by 2014. However, the TRS government deliberately delayed the project on some pretext or the other just for some cheap political gains.

He said that the Chief Minister first obstructed the project by demanding a change in the alignment. Later for unexplained reasons he gave his nod for the same original alignment. By changing his stances frequently, he delayed the project at several stages. The citizens of Hyderabad would have enjoyed the services of the Metro Rail for almost three years now if KCR had not have played politics and instead allowed the project to be completed in a time bound manner, Reddy alleged.

Reddy also condemned the Hyderabad Police and the HMRL authorities for not permitting the Congress leaders to inspect the Metro Rail works today. Accompanied by Leaders Of Opposition K Jana Reddy (Assembly) and Shabbir Ali (Council), former union minister Sarve Satyanarayana, AICC Secretary V Hanumantha Rao, Hyderabad Congress president Danam Nagender, former MP M Anjan Kumar Yadav and other leaders, Reddy first visited Sultan Bazar to inspect the Metro Rail works there. However, they were stopped by the police officials who contended that they could not be allowed to inspect the works. After consulting the L&T authorities, only five leaders were permitted to inspect the works. The leaders later went to the Metro Rail station at Malakpet, and then to that at Lakdi Ka Pul.

Reddy asked why the HMRL authorities objected to the visit of Congress leaders. "As people's representatives, we have every right to inspect the ongoing works of Metro Rail or any other project. The action by the police, HMRL and L&T authorities is highly objectionable," he said, adding that the Congress, after winning the next elections, would take stern action against the officials who were behaving like TRS activists.