Title - No change in Metro Corridor-III alignment: HMR Chief

Hyderabad: Hyderabad Metro Rail Ltd Managing Director NVS Reddy on Tuesday refuted the reports appearing in a section of the media that the alignment of Metro corridor-III (Nagole-Shilparamam) has been changed at Life Style-White House buildings with a sharp curve to spare CM’s Camp Office.

Reddy said that the alignment of Metro Rail corridor-III has not been changed as being alleged. The statement that the curvature of corridor-III has been reduced to 110 metres radius which is less than the mandatory requirement of 120 metres radius and as a result Metro trains will be slowed down is baseless. The lowest curvature adopted at any location on all the three Metro Rail corridors is 128 metres which is more than the lowest permissible curvature of 120 metres. The curve at Life Style- White House-Greenlands turning is also of 128 metres radius, he said.

The HMR MD stated that despite several constraints of the rail geometrics in terms of curvature, gradient (upward or downward incline) and accommodating Begumpet Metro station structure in the limited space between Country Club and Begumpet flyover in order to give connectivity to Begumpet railway station, the Metro alignment experts have done a good job in minimising the land acquisition requirements in this narrow stretch. Mostly open land in front of Varun Motors, Country Club, Life Style and White House buildings is being used to accommodate the Metro viaduct and Begumpet Metro station, he added.

Allaying the apprehension that major chunks of these buildings are getting demolished, Reddy has clarified that engineering solutions have been refined several times even after the issue of Land Acquisition notices and as a result the Metro right of way requirement has been drastically reduced. Other than the affected front open spaces, only a small corner portion of 3 sq.metres of Varun Motors 1st building; 41 sq.metres of Varun Motors 2nd building; 95 sq.metres of Country Club building and 25 sq.metres of the front portion of White House building are now getting affected. Life Style building is not being touched at all as the viaduct could be accommodated in the front open space of the building and only the open space is getting affected.

Reddy has also clarified that CM’s Camp Office is in no way connected with the alignment of Metro Rail as it is far away from the Metro corridor and the allegation that the alignment has been changed to spare CM’s Camp Office is false and baseless. The fact that the alignment is taking right turn at Greenland Jn towards Ameerpet Jn via Green Park Hotel road has been in public domain for the last many years, he told.