No doubt, the Hyderabad Metro Rail project played a key role in enhancing the global image of Hyderabad as one of the 'most happening cities' in India. But strangely, the KCR government is trying to take total credit for this project.
The fact is, the Hyderabad Metro Rail project was conceived by the Congress government in Undivided Andhra Pradesh when YS Rajashekar Reddy was Chief Minister between 2004 and 2009. Land acquisition was done for this project during YSR's tenure as CM.
It's a different issue that L&T was selected as the contractor for developing the Metro Rail project during CM Rosaiah's regime in 2010, and the project was grounded during CM Kiran Kumar Reddy's regime between 2011 and 2014.
Neither KCR nor TRS nor BRS had any role in the Hyderabad Metro Rail project.
Instead, KCR attempted to create hurdles for the Metro Rail project by joining hands with people who opposed land acquisition in Sultan Bazar under the pretext of losing the heritage market to Metro. KCR even threatened to stall the project if the Metro Rail route was not realigned.
After the formation of Telangana State and KCR becoming CM in 2014, KCR announced the realignment of the Metro route, causing a two-year delay in the work.
After two years of waiting, KCR approved the old route, which further delayed the project by three years. If there is any credit that should go to KCR or TRS or BRS, it is that they delayed the project by three years.
Now, KCR and KTR are suddenly talking about extending the Hyderabad Metro to all sides with an investment of Rs 60,000 crore in the next three to four years.
Their statements are now being mocked by people on social media platforms, who say that the KCR government, which failed to complete even the pending 5-km Metro line in the Old city in the last ten years, is now boasting about extending the Metro line by 279 kms on all sides of Hyderabad at a cost of Rs 60,000 crore.
KCR's and KTR's plans have raised suspicions that there is a conspiracy to create an 'artificial real estate boom' behind their statements on Metro expansion.
People believe that KCR's family members, BRS leaders, and their benamis have acquired huge land parcels along ORR, and they are now trying to inflate their land prices under the guise of Metro expansion. However, there are doubts whether this project will ever see the light of day.