AOC Circle Alternative Roads in Secunderabad Delayed Over Defence Land Transfer

Work on the proposed Rs 960-crore alternative roads project around the Army Ordnance Corps (AOC) Circle in Secunderabad Cantonment has been delayed due to an inordinate delay in the transfer of Defence land.

Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy laid the foundation stone for the alternative roads through the AOC Centre on June 8, but no progress has been made on the infrastructure project since the ceremony.

According to the project blueprint, two alternative routes are to be constructed by the Malkajgiri Municipal Corporation (MMC): one connecting Safilguda Level Crossing to Entrenchment Road, and another connecting Safilguda Level Crossing to the R K Puram Road Over Bridge (RoB).

To construct the 2.91-kilometre alternative stretch from Safilguda Level Crossing to Entrenchment Road, the MMC requires 24 acres of Defence land. An additional 10 acres of Defence land is needed for the road connecting Safilguda Level Crossing to the R K Puram RoB. A senior MMC engineering official stated that construction works for the two roads will begin only after nearly 42 acres of Defence land are transferred for the project.

To facilitate the transfer under the 'equivalent value of land' category, the Telangana government identified 153 acres of State-owned land at the Shamirpet Firing Range. The road project has been taken up under the Hyderabad City Innovative and Transformative Infrastructure (H-CITI) initiative.

An MMC official noted that the land transfer to the civic body is expected to be completed in the coming month. The official added that working permission for the project had already been granted to the MMC by the Local Military Authority five years ago.