HYDERABAD: Union Minister of State for Commerce & Industry Jitin Prasada on Tuesday informed Lok Sabha that the Centre has identified Zaheerabad Industrial Area (ZIA) as a priority node under the Hyderabad-Nagpur Industrial Corridor (HNIC) National Industrial Corridor Development Programme (NICDP).
In a written reply to a question raised by Congress MP Kadiyam Kavya, the Union minister said that the project under HNIC node located in Sangareddy district has an activation area of 3,245 acres, with a total project cost of Rs 2,360 crore.
The share of Union government’s contribution, through National Industrial Corridor Development and Implementation Trust (NICDIT), has been approved for Rs 596 crore as equity and Rs 655 crore towards debt, he added.
He further stated that a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) namely “NICDIT Zaheerabad Industrial Smart City Ltd” has been incorporated for implementation of the project and the tendering works for selection of Project Management for New Cities (PMNC) are in progress.
Chamala seeks early clearance for Hyd Metro Phase-II project
Citing Hyderabad’s rapid growth and ever-increasing traffic issues in the city, Congress MP Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy on Tuesday urged the Centre to expedite the process of according approval for Hyderabad Metro Rail Phase-II project.
Speaking in Lok Sabha, he urged the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs to circulate the proposal among relevant departments and ensure early clearance, cautioning that further delays could hamper Hyderabad’s infrastructure development. Kiran Kumar highlighted Hyderabad’s role as a major economic contributor and emphasised that the city is grappling with severe traffic and pollution due to a surge in number of private vehicles.
He noted that Phase-I of the metro project — spanning 69 km over three corridors at an approximate cost of Rs 22,000 crore — has already improved urban mobility, and an expansion is urgently required to meet growing transportation needs.
“The Telangana government has submitted a proposal for Phase-II covering 76.4 km across five corridors, at a total estimated cost of Rs 24,269 crore, structured as a joint venture between the Centre and the state government.
As per the proposal, funding would be sourced from the Centre (Rs 4,230 crore), Telangana government (Rs 7,313 crore), debt (Rs 11,693 crore) and Public-Private Partnership (Rs 1,033 crore),” he said. Pointing out that metro projects have been sanctioned under similar JV models in over 20 smaller cities, including Agra, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Indore and Kochi, the Bhongir MP questioned the delay in Hyderabad’s case.