Telangana seeks funds in Union Budget for various projects

Hyderabad: The Telangana government has urged Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to allocate funds in the union budget 2022-23 for various works taken up under the Municipal Administration and Urban Development Department in the state.

Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister K.T. Rama Rao wrote a letter to Sitharaman on Thursday, seeking assistance of nearly Rs 8,000 crore for various projects in Hyderabad.

KTR, as the state minister is popularly known, requested for allocation of funds for Mass Rapid Transit systems (MRTS) along the KPHB-Kokapet-Narsingi corridor.

While the preliminary estimates of the MRTS is Rs 3,050 crore, he requested the Centre to sanction 15 per cent of the project cost (Rs 450 crore).

This will be about 30 Kms long with an expected ridership of 5 lakh by 2030 and will have connectivity with the proposed Airport express at Narsingi and with the existing Metro network at the Financial District.

KTR also requested for sanction of funds for Warangal Metro-Neo project, amounting to Rs 184 crore, as the project would be a major milestone in public transport in a Tier II city, and requested that the Centre sanction of 20 per cent of the project cost.

KTR also brought to the notice of the Union Finance Minister that the state government has embarked on several initiatives like Strategic Road Development Programme (SRDP), Model Corridors Development and Hyderabad Road Development to improve the transport network not only in Hyderabad, but in Hyderabad Urban Agglomeration (HUA).

He mentioned that a total of 22 missing link roads were taken up and completed, while another 17 such link roads are at various stages of completion.

Further, to extend the missing link connectivity/improvement and comprehensive development up to Outer Ring Road including the surrounding urban local bodies, a total of 104 additional corridors are identified to take up with an estimated amount of Rs 2,400 crore. These connecting roads are proving to be the lifeline of urban mobility, he said in the letter.

He requested the Union government to support the Telangana government by extending a contribution of Rs 800 crore, that is one-third of the project cost.

As per the DPRs for Phase II of SRDP, the estimated cost of various works is Rs 14,000 crore. These include improvement of important roads, construction of flyovers and underpasses for smooth connectivity and widening of important roads and he requested her to provide 10 per cent of the project cost.

Highlighting the need for a stronger sewerage network in Hyderabad, KTR cited about the ambitious Comprehensive Sewerage Master Plan (CSMP) taken up by the state government.

The plan includes construction of 62 Sewage Treatment Plants at a total estimated cost of Rs 8,684.54 crore and urged the Central government to sanction one-third of the project cost.