HMRL begins Old City metro preparatory works

The Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited (HMRL) has a good news for the people Old city on the festive day of Bonalu. It started the preparatory works for undertaking metro works in Old City.
Preparation of individual sketches of the 1000 odd affected properties has started and Land acquisition notices will be issued in about a month, HMRL managing director, NVS Reddy said.
He said that the 5.5 km Metro alignment in old city is from MGBS to Falaknuma via Darulshifa junction – Purani Haveli – Ettebar Chowk – Alijakotla – Mir Momin Daira – Haribowli – Shalibanda – Shamsheergunj and Aliabad.
There will be five metro stations – Salarjung Museum, Charminar, Shalibanda, Shamsheergunj and Falaknuma, he said adding that though the metro station locations are about 500 meters away from Salarjung Museum and Charminar, these two stations are being named after them in view of their importance and pride of place in the city.
According to Reddy, there are 103 religious and other sensitive structures including 21 Masjids, 12 temples, 12 Ashoorkhanas, 33 dargas, 7 graveyards and 6 chillas in this stretch. Through engineering solutions like adjustment of curvature, viaduct design and heights, suitable alteration of metro pillar locations etc. all these religious and sensitive structures have been saved except four other structures.
On the instructions of chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and the Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister, K T Rama Rao, further engineering refinement is being done to the metro alignment to save the remaining four religious structures also, the HMRL chief said.
road widening will be restricted to 80 feet to save the religious and sensitive structures. However, learning lessons from the Phase-1 project, road will be widened at the station locations to 120 feet, he said.