Hyderabad, February 25: The government may have to provide more than the Rs. 25 crore allocated in the budget for phase two of Multi-Model Suburban Transport System (MMTS) if the Ministry of Railways clears the project.
Senior railway officials are pretty confident that the Rs. 640 crore project will be announced during the forthcoming Railway Budget as the government has already committed to pick up two-thirds of the total cost of Rs. 460 crore.
Six routes — Secunderabad-Bollarum-Medchal, Falaknuma-Umadanagar
-Shamshabad, Sanatnagar-Moulali, Sitaphalmandi-Malkajgiri-Moula Ali, Moula Ali-Ghatkesar and Telapur-Patancheru — or total of 106 km are proposed under the second phase.
“The railways too are facing a fund crunch hence it is more likely that it would evince interest in taking up projects where the costs are shared with the government,” aver senior officials. Even with the current allocation, works can be taken up and completed on the Secunderabad-Bollaram route within six months of it being grounded, since the line has been doubled.
“All it requires is electrification and developing a couple of stations. But, taking it towards Medchal will take some time as an additional line too has to be laid,” they say. Similarly, works can be taken up to develop the Falaknuma-Shamshabad or Umdanagar station by doubling the line and electrification since the land to be acquired is not much.
Official orders
“Tenders can be called for these two works and additional funds can be allocated if the resolve is there,” they point out. The government has issued official orders reiterating its support for the project and the Railway Board too has cleared the same last year.
The SCR indicated that it wants 74 acres for phase-II where nine new stations including a proposed one at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Shamshabad is to come up. About 37 acres is required for the proposed single line from Umdanagar to the airport.
Five new stations are being planned on the Sanatnagar-Moula Ali section where seven acres is required and three new stations are to come up on the Telapur-Patancheru section where four acres are needed.
Other land is for laying new lines on the routes.
-Agencies