Hyderabad: The state govt has secured permission from the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to construct a multi-lane underpass going below the Begumpet Airport as part of an elevated corridor project connecting Suchitra Junction and Paradise Circle, chief minister A Revanth Reddy informed the legislative council on Monday.The underpass, which would go below the Begumpet airport runway, was first mooted by the state govt back in 2024.“It is a unique infrastructure initiative and the first-of-its-kind project in the country. Our aim is to ensure motorists spend as little time at traffic signals as possible,” Revanth said during question hour.Calling for cooperation, the CM urged opposition parties not to politicise development initiatives and invited constructive suggestions to strengthen projects like the Musi revival project. He reiterated that the govt is committed to transforming Hyderabad into a more liveable, efficient and globally competitive city while preserving its historical identity.Citing pollution and traffic congestion woes faced by Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Bengaluru, Revanth said the Congress govt aims to ensure Hyderabad does not go down a similar path. “An ambitious roadmap for Hyderabad’s development, with focus on infrastructure expansion, traffic decongestion, and sustainable urban planning, has been prepared under the ‘Telangana Rising 2047′ vision. To meet this goal, the govt has planned relocation of industries outside Outer Ring Road (ORR), construction of a network of roads, underpasses and elevated corridors and clearing of encroachments along pavements,” he said.Dedicated zones would be set up for street vendors, multi-level parking facilities would be built, and metro rail expansion works would be taken up to make Hyderabad a more liveable city, Revanth said.A new automated multi-level rotary parking facility is operational near KBR Park, and several such facilities have been planned across Hyderabad, he said.“We have divided road development into three categories: underpasses, surface roads and elevated corridors. Road and elevated corridor development works will be taken up at 29 locations. The Hyderabad Industrial Lands Transformation (HILT) policy is to ensure that Hyderabad does not face air pollution like Delhi. We are reclassifying land from industrial zones to multi-use zones,” he said.He stressed the need for strengthening traffic and transport systems, mainly the road and railway network. The govt is already in the process of upgrading Secunderabad and Cherlapally railway stations and is planning further expansion of the Metro rail to improve last-mile connectivity, he said.“The state is moving towards taking over metro rail operations by March-end or in April, and the Centre has responded positively to expansion proposals,” Revanth informed the council.Speaking on the Musi rejuvenation project, the CM said the govt will ensure that not a single person would be rendered homeless. An elevated corridor running through the heart of the city, alongside the Musi, has been planned from Gandipet to Gourelli. This will drastically bring down travel time in the 40-km stretch, he said.Highlighting governance reforms, he said the govt is focusing on ‘Smart Governance’ through transparent policies and better coordination among departments. Hyderabad has been reorganised into three municipal corporations and four police commissionerates to improve administration.BoxCabinet sub-committee on MusiCM Revanth said the state govt is ready to constitute a cabinet sub-committee led by deputy chief minister Bhatti Vikramarka, for the opposition to submit its suggestions to it. “If the opposition feels uncomfortable submitting suggestions directly to me, a cabinet sub-committee will be constituted on the Musi project. The Sabarmati riverfront project in Gujarat took off when Narendra Modi was the chief minister and a candidate of the Congress was the city mayor. There could be political differences, but when it comes to development, the opposition should cooperate and give constructive suggestions,” Revanth said.
