Telangana government forms committee to give Hyderabad Metro Rail a leg up

A decision to this effect was taken by Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao during a review meeting at Pragathi Bhavan.
Hyderabad Metro Rail (File Photo |EPS ,Vinay Madapu)
Hyderabad Metro Rail (File Photo |EPS ,Vinay Madapu)

HYDERABAD: The Telangana government, on Tuesday, decided to bail out the Hyderabad Metro Rail, which has been incurring heavy losses due to the pandemic, and constituted a committee to study and suggest measures to get it back in black.

A decision to this effect was taken by Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao during a review meeting at Pragathi Bhavan.

MAUD Minister KT Rama Rao, Roads and Buildings Minister Vemula Prashanth Reddy, Chief Advisor to the government Rajeev Sharma, Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar, Principal Finance Secretary K Ramakrishna Rao, Municipal Special Chief Secretary Arvind Kumar and Industries Principal Secretary Jayesh Ranjan are the members of the committee.

The panel will study ways to support the Metro Rail from the government’s end and submit a report with strategies.

L&T seeks support

During the meeting, representatives of the L&T requested the State government to provide help to the pandemic-hit Metro Rail. They apprised the Chief Minister of the financial losses incurred so far and the details of bank loans and accumulated interests on loans.

L&T CEO and MD SN Subrahmanyam, Metro Rail MD NVS Reddy, CEO KVB Reddy and others were present at the meeting. The Chief Minister assured them that he would help the company overcome all its struggles and see to it that the Metro ran on profitable lines.

Rao said that the Metro Rail had earned its reputation as the safest transport system in a short span of time and that it was essential for Hyderabad, which was growing rapidly. "Like all the other sectors, the Metro Rail too was affected by COVID-19," he added.

The Chief Minister also felt the need to expand the Metro Rail to other parts of the city and said that the State government would examine strategies to help it overcome the losses. 

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