HYDERABAD: The Old City Metro road widening project has entered a crucial stage, with Hyderabad Airport Metro Limited (HAML) Managing Director NVS Reddy announcing on Sunday that land acquisition and demolition of affected properties along the 7.5 km Old City Metro Corridor have reached a decisive point and the required Right of Way (RoW) is now almost fully available.
Although the initial estimate of affected properties was 1,100, innovative engineering solutions have reduced the number to 886. To date, more than 550 demolitions have been completed, with work ongoing to clear the remaining structures. Compensation worth Rs 433 crore has already been disbursed to property owners.
Despite hurdles such as rain, festivals, and Muharram, the works have advanced smoothly without causing inconvenience to residents. Complex electrical cable removals also posed challenges, but these have been successfully addressed.
Preparatory work for the Metro pillars and station construction is now in progress. Officials are carrying out differential GPS (DGPS) surveys for precision mapping, along with identification and relocation of underground utilities, soil testing, geo-technical analysis, and protection of sensitive heritage structures along the alignment.
HAML MD further explained that, unlike conventional surveys, DGPS provides high-accuracy digital mapping. Data collected has been integrated with earlier drone surveys to accelerate the project.
The corridor has been divided into segments, with control points established for accurate positioning using GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receivers. These
satellite-based signals are crucial for survey and mapping operations
He stressed the need to identify and divert underground obstacles at pillar locations. Given the age of the roads, several water, sewage, stormwater, electricity, and telecom lines exist underground. As per the master plan, the road is being widened to 100 feet, requiring demolition of impacted properties.
NVS Reddy noted that Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) surveys are also being carried out to detect subsurface structures and materials. Soil strength and groundwater conditions are being examined through geotechnical investigations to ensure Metro foundations can bear the load.
He stated that the alignment passes through several sensitive structures, which have been identified, and adjustments have been made accordingly. Pillar locations are being finalised based on the refined alignment.