Here is good news for city commuters travelling by the Multi Modal Transport System (MMTS). The expansion of MMTS phase-II project will begin soon to cover more areas in and around Greater Hyderabad. The demand has been pending for a decade.
The second phase was proposed following the good response received by MMTS phase-I. Every day nearly 1.30 lakh to 1.40 lakh passengers travel on MMTS services on three sectors in the twin cities.
Tenders have already been invited by Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) for MMTS under phase-II at an estimated cost of Rs 360 crore, simultaneously in three packages. The bids are slated to be opened on June 14 for evaluation, South Central Railway (SCR) general manager D P Pande has said.
“We are hoping to commence the field work from August soon after finalising the agencies,” Pande said.
The tenders which were supposed to be opened last week were postponed after the agencies, who bid for the tenders sought clarifications on various issues.
The tenders for MMTS phase-II were floated on April 11 by RVNL in three separate packages for works worth Rs 365 crore.
The tenders sought bidders to take up rail works on different sections dividing them into three packages: Quadrupling of track for sections between Ghatkesar-Moula Ali and patch doubling between Moula Ali-Seethaphalmandi.
Doubling between Sanathnagar-Moula Ali, restoration of track between TellapurÂ-Ramachandrapuram. Doubling between Medchal-Bolarum and Falaknuma-Umdanagar.
Chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy in December 2011 announced that the state government had agreed to finance 65 per cent of project.
SCR officials told Express that that the project was proposed to be taken up at an estimated cost of about `632 crore.
Even the municipal administration and urban development department in April 2010 gave its nod to share two-thirds of the total cost of the work in two stages.
The state government has also earmarked about `20 crore for passenger amenities and `85 crore for purchase of new rakes. The Central government has sanctioned `99 crore earmarked in the railway budget.
