From Kollur KCR Nagar to Patancheru-Hayathnagar Metro Rail, KCR makes a slew of promises

Hyderabad: As Telangana turns 10, from the foundation stone laid for the super speciality hospital at Patancheru to the 45-meter-tall Telangana Martyrs Memorial, the state witnessed a series of new inaugurations by chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao on Thursday.

Metro rail for Patancheru-Hayathnagar

“I promise that in the first cabinet meeting after coming back to power in 2024, I will extend Hyderabad metro rail from Patancheru to Hayathnagar,” said KCR after laying the foundation stone for a super speciality hospital at Patancheru.

KCR directed health minister Harish Rao to expedite the construction works of the Rs 183 crore hospital, which aims to provide quality medical care in Patancheru.

In his speech, KCR said that Telangana is the only state in the country that supplies 24X7 power, both domestic and commercial, and sought blessings from the public for the progress to continue. “When the state was being formed, there were a lot of apprehensions and false propaganda against Telangana. Now, in the entire country, there is only one state which supplies 24X7 power to domestic outlets, industries, commercial and agriculture,” he said.

TDP chief Nara Chandrababu Naidu recently stated that previously if one acre of land was sold in Andhra Pradesh, four acres of land could be bought in Telangana. But now, if one acre is sold in Telangana, 50-100 acres can be bought in Andhra. Commenting on this, KCR said, “This is the change of fortune seen in Telangana. If there is a good government in place, anything is possible.”

KCR Nagar at Kollur

KCR inaugurated Asia’s largest 2BHK dignity housing project, titled KCR Nagar at Kollur. This is the largest government-funded housing project in Asia, built at a cost of Rs 1,474.75 crore.

The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) will hand over possession of 15,660 2 BHK flats to beneficiaries at Kollur.

Covering a vast area of 145 acres, the Kollur complex is designed to compete with private builders in the region. It features 117 blocks ranging from G+9 to G+10 floors and 234 elevators. The 560 square feet flats have all amenities, including a sewage treatment plant, drinking water, schools, and hospitals. The complex features modern facilities like CCTV cameras for security, two lifts per floor, and 118 commercial shops for income generation and community welfare.

Under the Telangana government’s Dignity Housing Scheme, the GHMC received a total of 7,09,718 applications for the allotment of these 2 BHK houses within its jurisdiction. So far, 3,44,310 applications have been processed, representing approximately 48.51% of the total received.

Largest private coach factory

KCR inaugurated the Medha Rail Coach Factory, the largest private coach factory in India, at Kondakal in Shankarpally Mandal of Rangareddy district. The factory is built by Joint Venture Medha Servo Drives & Stadler Rail with an investment of Rs 1,000 crore.

Medha Servo Drives, established in 1984, is the largest propulsion equipment supplier to Indian Railways and the only Indian company that has in-house R&D facilities. It has been supplying various products to railways since 1990.

For manufacturing coaches for Vande Bharat Express, Medha will team up with the Telangana Academy for Skill and Knowledge (TASK) to generate employable human resources.

The facility at Kondakal has an annual capacity of manufacturing 500 coaches of various types and 50 locomotives. It will also provide 2,200 jobs, including 1,000 direct and 1,200 indirect jobs.

“I was impressed with the state-of-the-art facility created by the company founders Kashyap Reddy and Srinivas Reddy. It is a proud moment as the sons of Telangana have established such a massive manufacturing facility to supply rail coaches to the entire world,” said KCR.

Telangana Martyrs Memorial

KCR unveiled the 45-meter-tall Telangana Martyrs Memorial on the banks of Hussain Sagar on Thursday evening. Amara Deepam pays tribute to those who sacrificed their lives for statehood.

Constructed with 1,600 tonnes of stainless steel, the impressive six-story structure takes the form of an elliptical earthen lamp. Costing Rs 177.5 crore, the memorial spans 26,800 square meters on 3.29 acres of land, standing 45 meters tall. The unveiling of Amara Deepam serves as a powerful reminder of the sacrifices made and will inspire future generations.

With the theme on Martyrs, monuments and achievements of Telangana in ten years, a drone light show was conducted in the evening. With a total of 750 drones in the sky, a 15 minutes spectacular show was displayed with 13 formations.

Opposition alleges lapses

Congress leader A Revanth Reddy who in March, alleged that R&B minister V Prashanth Reddy pocketed Rs 50 crore from the martyrs memorial, said that it is sad that a state minister has no proper knowledge about the number of Telangana martyrs. He reminded the minister about the resolution adopted in the Assembly recognised 1,569 martyrs. He questioned why the names of the martyrs were not mentioned on the memorial.

He said that the cost of the project almost tripled from Rs 63.75 crore in 2017 to almost Rs 180 crore by the end of construction. He questioned the government’s intention in hiring AP contractors despite the expert committee formed in 2017.

Regarding the construction of the memorial, he said that the stainless steel plates are not merged properly, unlike the architectural marvels found in USA or China. He said that the thickness of 4mm will impact the quality and life of the structure. He said that after the Congress forms government, it will give due recognition to all martyrs and ensure that their families get Rs 25,000 monthly pension and government jobs.

With inputs from Md Nizamuddin.