Hyderabad: A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Telangana High Court against the expansion of Hyderabad Metro.
The APWF has filed this petition, stated a local report. The Telangana chief secretary, the municipal administration department’s principal secretary, the Hyderabad metro MD, and the Waqf Board CEO as respondents.
The APWF has objected to the construction of the Metro in the Old City stating that the construction was being carried out without considering historical monuments.
According to the Telangana Heritage Act 2017, historical monuments have to be protected. It explained that there are historical monuments like Charminar, Falaknuma Palace, Purana Haveli, and Mughalpura Tombs near the proposed metro route in the Old City.
It stated that there is a risk of damage to those monuments due to the construction of the Metro Rail. It urged the approval of the High Court or a group of experts before further works are carried ahead for the expansion of the Hyderabad metro. The group has also appealed to the High Court to halt works until then.
The High Court will hear the matter next on February 17.
Hyderabad Metro Rail Overview
After the Hyderabad Metro became operational in 2017, the blue (Secunderabad-HITEC CITY) and red lines (Miyapur-LB Nagar) were initially functional. After that, the green line (Parade Grounds-MGBS) was added. On September 29, 2024, Telangana chief minister Revanth Reddy approved the Metro Rail’s phase 2 corridors which include the metro’s lines connecting Hyderabad to the airport, and also a line connecting the Chandrayangutta to MGBS line for the Old City.
A total of 116.2 kilometres have been approved for the new corridors for the Hyderabad Metro rail. The line to the airport will pass via the Aramghar.
In January this year, the Telangana government provided compensation to people in Hyderabad’s Old City who are set to lose parts of their property due to the Hyderabad metro rail project.
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