HYDERABAD: Once operational, the metr Rail will benefit lakhs of people and facilitate easy movement of traffic in the city.
But all this will come at a huge cost and this will not be merely financial: thousands of people will get dislocated once the construction of the project takes off.
Busy market areas such as Ameerpet, Punjagutta, Sultan Bazar, Badi Chowdi, Khairatabad among others that fall in the metro rail route will not only lose their character but also get practically wiped out with stations with a minimum height of a three floor building standing tall and wide where markets bustle with hectic activity today.
The threat of huge demolitions also loom over roads such as those extending between Narayanguda crossroads to Kacheguda and the stretch leading to Gowliguda bus station. Shah Ali Banda to Falaknuma would be among many other stretches that would fall on the metro track. "Delhi's metro has been a success, but the route is mostly underground and partly overground. In Hyderabad it will be totally overground, which is why the dislocation and destruction will be higher," an analyst said.
But even as the ambitious project has been approved by the state cabinet, notices to structures on the roads that will be affected have not been served in many places. This means that many people are still not aware that they might be affected by the project.
Experts point out that the project work would start with the construction of stations, but curiously, the process of land acquisition for stations hasn’t started as yet, at least officially.
"The government does not wish to create panic among people by starting the massive acquisitions now," said an insider source. So, a hush-hush acquisition strategy has been adopted with several government properties being acquired silently in the name of road widening.
N V S Reddy, managing director, Hyderabad Metro Rail, says that of the 66 stations coming up, government property will be given (to the developer) in 34 places. He adds that an additional "one or two acre area" will be required for parking and circulation but properties for this are not being notified now.
The stations, that are estimated to be at least as tall as a three-floor building, would even touch the height of a five or seven-floor building measuring around 40 feet to 70 feet in some places. Add to this height the length of the platform and the additional essentials of a staircase, lift and escalator.
For this, land other than the road width would be needed to the tune of 100 square yards to 200 square yards, says N V S Reddy claiming that it is still too early to notify these properties since the design (of stations) would be ready only after six months.
But what activists can't fathom is how entire markets can be allowed to disappear once the project work starts. "Sultan Bazar, for instance, is a pedestrian shopping area and part of the history of the city. Such bazaars are protected in other cities," says C Ramachandraiah of Citizens for a Better Public Transport. In addition, he questions, why the designated spots of stations have not been revealed as yet. "If the station is in Ameerpet, where would it be? Where will it be located in Punjagutta," he asks, seeking better transparency of the metro rail track.
"Land acquisition is bound to hit a roadblock in the corridor stretching through the city's most congested stretch, where even land for road widening could not be acquired," the analyst said. The available right of way for the metro rail track on the three metro corridors is 90 per cent for Miyapur- LB Nagar corridor, 72 per cent for Nagole- Shilparamam corridor but only 41 per cent for JBS- Falaknuma corridor, claims N V S Reddy. He acknowledges - in what is a gross understatement - that acquiring land for corridor II (wherein many Old City areas fall) is a 'problem'.
Observers note that there are both temples and mosques falling on the metro alignment track and wonder how the authorities would steer clear of them. Besides, they pertinently note that no financial institution would extend a loan to the project developer until it provides documentation evidence that the land has actually been acquired.
But all this will come at a huge cost and this will not be merely financial: thousands of people will get dislocated once the construction of the project takes off.
Busy market areas such as Ameerpet, Punjagutta, Sultan Bazar, Badi Chowdi, Khairatabad among others that fall in the metro rail route will not only lose their character but also get practically wiped out with stations with a minimum height of a three floor building standing tall and wide where markets bustle with hectic activity today.
The threat of huge demolitions also loom over roads such as those extending between Narayanguda crossroads to Kacheguda and the stretch leading to Gowliguda bus station. Shah Ali Banda to Falaknuma would be among many other stretches that would fall on the metro track. "Delhi's metro has been a success, but the route is mostly underground and partly overground. In Hyderabad it will be totally overground, which is why the dislocation and destruction will be higher," an analyst said.
But even as the ambitious project has been approved by the state cabinet, notices to structures on the roads that will be affected have not been served in many places. This means that many people are still not aware that they might be affected by the project.
Experts point out that the project work would start with the construction of stations, but curiously, the process of land acquisition for stations hasn’t started as yet, at least officially.
"The government does not wish to create panic among people by starting the massive acquisitions now," said an insider source. So, a hush-hush acquisition strategy has been adopted with several government properties being acquired silently in the name of road widening.
N V S Reddy, managing director, Hyderabad Metro Rail, says that of the 66 stations coming up, government property will be given (to the developer) in 34 places. He adds that an additional "one or two acre area" will be required for parking and circulation but properties for this are not being notified now.
The stations, that are estimated to be at least as tall as a three-floor building, would even touch the height of a five or seven-floor building measuring around 40 feet to 70 feet in some places. Add to this height the length of the platform and the additional essentials of a staircase, lift and escalator.
For this, land other than the road width would be needed to the tune of 100 square yards to 200 square yards, says N V S Reddy claiming that it is still too early to notify these properties since the design (of stations) would be ready only after six months.
But what activists can't fathom is how entire markets can be allowed to disappear once the project work starts. "Sultan Bazar, for instance, is a pedestrian shopping area and part of the history of the city. Such bazaars are protected in other cities," says C Ramachandraiah of Citizens for a Better Public Transport. In addition, he questions, why the designated spots of stations have not been revealed as yet. "If the station is in Ameerpet, where would it be? Where will it be located in Punjagutta," he asks, seeking better transparency of the metro rail track.
"Land acquisition is bound to hit a roadblock in the corridor stretching through the city's most congested stretch, where even land for road widening could not be acquired," the analyst said. The available right of way for the metro rail track on the three metro corridors is 90 per cent for Miyapur- LB Nagar corridor, 72 per cent for Nagole- Shilparamam corridor but only 41 per cent for JBS- Falaknuma corridor, claims N V S Reddy. He acknowledges - in what is a gross understatement - that acquiring land for corridor II (wherein many Old City areas fall) is a 'problem'.
Observers note that there are both temples and mosques falling on the metro alignment track and wonder how the authorities would steer clear of them. Besides, they pertinently note that no financial institution would extend a loan to the project developer until it provides documentation evidence that the land has actually been acquired.
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