Environmentalists say project will affect monuments; move high court Hyderabad, August 19 The ambitious Hyderabad Metro Rail project, billed as the country’s biggest metro venture, has run into rough weather with environmentalists moving the high court, alleging that it would deface the city’s heritage structures, spoil the skyline and create more chaos. Seeking the court’s intervention to protect heritage buildings and monuments, a city-based NGO “Forum for Better Hyderabad” pitched for changing the alignment of the Rs 16,300-crore Metro Rail that covers three traffic corridors stretching over 71 km. Several heritage buildings of the 420-year-old city, including the Charminar, Legislative Assembly, Begumpet Public School, Bella Vista Palace and Erramanzil Palace, would lose their charm and majesty if the authorities went ahead with the present alignment of the elevated metro rail corridor, the petitioners argued. The work on the prestigious project, involving construction of 66 stations with modern facilities, including escalators and elevators, is on. It is expected to be completed by 2017. The project is being executed by L&T under the public-private partnership model. All three corridors of the project will be above the ground on elevated flyovers passing right above the medians of the roads at a height of 12 m to 18 m. There are 145 heritage structures in the city. Forum representatives said the metro project, in the present form, would pass by at least 15 heritage structures, including several buildings in the old city However, officials of the Hyderabad Metro Rail (HMR) claimed the project would not affect heritage structures in any way. “The project will not harm any heritage structure. Some vested interests are running a campaign to stop the work,” HMR managing director NVS Reddy said. Secretary of the Forum for Better Hyderabad and retired IAS officer OM Debara, who filed the petition, said they had sought an interim direction from the court to change the alignment of the rail corridor to protect heritage structures or opt for an underground route as was done in case of Delhi and Bangalore metro projects. “Since the work has not yet commenced near heritage structures, it is high time the authorities changed the alignment,” said Debara who is also a member of the Indian National Trust for Arts and Cultural Heritage (INTACH). “No environment impact assessment has been done nor was there any public hearing for such a massive project. Nobody knows how many buildings will have to be demolished and where. It will lead to a chaotic situation,” said P Anuradha Reddy, INTACH convener. The rail lines will pass through the city on elevated flyovers and massive station complexes would come up at every 2 km. This would block the city skyline and create more chaos, they maintain. the OPPOSITION * Rs 16,300-crore project will have three traffic corridors stretching over 71 km * It will involve construction of 66 stations with modern facilities * The project route will pass by several heritage buildings, including the Charminar * Environmentalists want the route to be changed so that it does not affect monuments