To ease Hyderabad’s traffic woes, Telangana government has advanced plans to construct two skyway corridors, according to a Times of India report.
In this regard, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the Ministry of Defence and the state government on Saturday (28 June).
“The Paradise–Shamirpet corridor will need 114 acres of defence land and 78 acres of private land. The Paradise–Dairy Farm Road corridor requires 42 acres of defence land and 13 acres of private land, and the Shamirpet corridor passes through more defence-owned land than the Medchal route,” officials were quoted as saying by ToI.
As part of the MoU, the MoD will hand over 65.038 acres of land to the state government, which in turn will provide 435 acres to the defence authorities.
The MoU listed the modalities, timelines and methodology of transfer of defence land, The New Indian Express reported.
The Ministry of Defence had granted permission for construction of the elevated corridors on 1 March 2024.
The MoU for the transfer of A1 defence land required for construction of the two proposed elevated corridors in the Secunderabad area was signed by the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority on behalf of the state government, and the Headquarters, Telangana and Andhra Sub Area, on behalf of the Indian Army.
Adding complexity to the projects are two proposed underground tunnels, one near Begumpet airport and another at Hakimpet airport.
The Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) is conducting feasibility studies for these tunnels, which will collectively require 26 acres of land, including one acre at Begumpet and 25 acres at Hakimpet.
Some existing defence structures will be affected due to the land acquisition.
To mitigate this, HMDA has begun constructing four underground water sumps in defence and cantonment areas and has finalised tenders for building compound walls.
Meanwhile, private land acquisition has progressed, with government notifications already issued and negotiations ongoing.
A survey conducted jointly by HMDA and the forest department revealed significant ecological implications, identifying that more than 10,000 trees will be impacted by the projects.
Of these, 3,200 trees are set to be cut down, while the remainder will be translocated, officials confirmed.
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