KTR requests Centre for increase in funding for urban projects

TELANGANA: KT Rama Rao, Minister of Municipal Administration and Urban Development, Government of Telangana has requested the Centre to include requisite funding for the state’s many urban sector initiatives in the next Union Budget 2023–24.

According to Rao, 46.8 per cent of the population of Telangana lives in cities, making it an urban state for which the requisite infrastructure must be built. By providing priority funding for the initiatives being undertaken or planned, the Centre must help the State.

He requested funding for a number of urban infrastructure projects, including the Strategic Road Development Project (SRDP), Strategic Nala Development Project (SNDP), Comprehensive Road Maintenance Project (CRMP), Hyderabad Road Development Corporation (HRDC), Musi River Development Corporation (MRDC), and Telangana Urban Infrastructure Development Corporation (TUFIDC).

He said that the 31-kilometre Hyderabad Airport Express Metro Project, funded in part by the state government and anticipated to cost ₹6,250 crore, sought “in principle approval” from the Centre. He claims that a ₹254 crore loan, which is a share of the viability gap funding for the Hyderabad Metro Rail Project, has been pending for five years and has to be approved immediately.

Rao requested ₹450 crore toward 15 per cent of the Centre’s equity for the proposed Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) in the Hyderabad Urban Agglomeration, which would have a 20-km length and cost ₹3,050 crore. He also requested ₹800 crore to build link roads in 104 corridors, which will cost ₹2,400 crore. He urged the Centre to approve ₹500 crore for a detailed project report (DPR) to relieve traffic congestion on National Highway 65.

The Minister stated that the East West Expressway, SRDP Phase II, Development of Elevated Corridors, Musi Riverfront Development, and other projects have been undertaken by the state government at an estimated cost of ₹34.500 crore. He urged the Centre to contribute at least 10 per cent of the budgetary support.

He urged the Centre to provide ₹750 crore, which is 20 per cent of the project’s overall cost (₹3,777 crore), listing significant transformative projects like the Solid Waste Management project, bio-mining, Fecal Sludge Treatment Plants (FSTP), and wastewater treatment projects. In addition, he asked for a third of the ₹8,684 crore to build 41 sewage treatment facilities with a combined capacity of 1,591 MLD over a 2,232 km sewer network. Additionally, he asked about ₹240 crores for the SNDP, which was started to prevent flooding after a lot of rain.

Rao wanted ₹400 crore under Swachh Bharat Mission and another ₹100 crore for the establishment of Telangana Sanitation Hub.