Hyderabad Airport Metro Rail Limited (HAML) has begun underground soil tests through drilling for the proposed metro line connectivity to Medchal, Shamirpet and also the Future City as a precursor towards the preparation of Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) to be submitted to the State government for necessary approvals.
HAML managing director N.V.S. Reddy, in a press release on Sunday, informed that various surveys are being conducted — traffic studies, geo-technical investigations through drilling into the ground as well as environment impact assessments — towards the preparation of key reports. These are for the 24-km Medchal corridor and 21-km Shamirpet corridor being planned to be built from Jubilee Bus Station (JBS), and also the 40-km Future City corridor from Shamshabad international airport.
The studies will help the metro rail officials assess the current daily traffic flows and projected growth in the near future on the routes and transit timings. The various curves of the alignments, projected pedestrian movement, pressure on the junctions, number of likely metro stations overhead, parking spaces, etc., will be taken into consideration during the preparation of the reports, he said.
The current air, sound and water pollution levels in the alignment course, the existing flora and fauna, etc., will also be checked. The geo-technical investigations involve studying the rock formations, seismic risk analysis, underground water levels and others, which will help decide on how and where the metro piers and stations are likely to be constructed, explained Mr. Reddy.
For the geo-technical investigations, the ground will be drilled for every 500 metres on the proposed metro routes to a depth of 50-100 feet at 25 sites on the JBS-Medchal corridor and 19 sites on the JBS-Shamirpet corridor. About 14 such tests on the Medchal alignment and another 11 on the Shamirpet alignment have already been completed with the rest likely to be completed by the month-end, without putting commuters to inconvenience and taking all necessary precautions, said the MD.
Similar underground studies already taken up by the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority and the National Highways Authority of India for their respective flyover works will be incorporated into the current surveys. He also reiterated that the DPRs for all three routes will be submitted by next month to the State government and once approvals are given, these will be sent to the Central government for permissions from its side for necessary financial backing and other related things.
Published – February 17, 2025 02:07 am IST
