Mumbai, June 30 -- Civil society organisations in Hyderabad have questioned the Telangana government's plan to take over the Hyderabad Metro Rail from Larsen & Toubro, citing concerns over financial viability and passenger benefits. Groups urged the government to prioritise investment in city buses and the Multi-Modal Transport System rather than placing additional burden on Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited (HMRL).
Activists noted that the State appears prepared to spend Rs 150 billion (bn) on the takeover and asked why comparable funds were not earmarked to cover losses in operating city buses. They recalled that when the Metro project was announced in 2006 officials projected a daily ridership of nearly 1.6 million (mn) passengers, while current daily patronage stands at about 0.45 mn despite large investments and allocation of prime land. They also emphasised that Metro fares are significantly higher than those for city buses and MMTS services.
Members of the Urban Development Forum contrasted the size of bus fleets in other cities, noting that Bengaluru and Chennai operate nearly 7,000 city buses each while Hyderabad has around 2,500 in service. The recent addition of 50 electric buses was described as inadequate relative to the city's needs. They argued that insufficient feeder services to MMTS stations has weakened last mile connectivity and that closer coordination with the South Central Railway is required to improve punctuality and ridership.
Government officials defended plans to expand Metro services, asserting that metro rail serves different long term transport needs and cannot be equated directly with buses. They warned that a large increase in buses could worsen traffic congestion and that strengthening MMTS involves multiple decision bodies and extensive coordination with the railway. Civil society groups reiterated a call for a balanced approach, asking for targeted investment in buses and MMTS alongside any Metro decisions.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Construction World.