Civil Society Questions Telangana Metro Takeover Plan

30 Jun 2026 CW Team

Civil society organisations in Hyderabad have questioned the Telangana government’s plan to take over the Hyderabad Metro Rail from Larsen & Toubro, citing concerns over financial viability and passenger benefits. Groups urged the government to prioritise investment in city buses and the Multi-Modal Transport System rather than placing additional burden on Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited (HMRL).

Activists noted that the State appears prepared to spend Rs 150 billion (bn) on the takeover and asked why comparable funds were not earmarked to cover losses in operating city buses. They recalled that when the Metro project was announced in 2006 officials projected a daily ridership of nearly 1.6 million (mn) passengers, while current daily patronage stands at about 0.45 mn despite large investments and allocation of prime land. They also emphasised that Metro fares are significantly higher than those for city buses and MMTS services.

Members of the Urban Development Forum contrasted the size of bus fleets in other cities, noting that Bengaluru and Chennai operate nearly 7,000 city buses each while Hyderabad has around 2,500 in service. The recent addition of 50 electric buses was described as inadequate relative to the city’s needs. They argued that insufficient feeder services to MMTS stations has weakened last mile connectivity and that closer coordination with the South Central Railway is required to improve punctuality and ridership.

Government officials defended plans to expand Metro services, asserting that metro rail serves different long term transport needs and cannot be equated directly with buses. They warned that a large increase in buses could worsen traffic congestion and that strengthening MMTS involves multiple decision bodies and extensive coordination with the railway. Civil society groups reiterated a call for a balanced approach, asking for targeted investment in buses and MMTS alongside any Metro decisions.

Infrastructure Urban

27 Jul 2026

Meghalaya Launches Rs 1.75 Billion Mission for Lakadong Turmeric

Meghalaya has launched Mission Golden Spice: Integrated Lakadong Turmeric Value Chain Enhancement Project, marking a major step towards establishing the state as a global centre for premium, organic and GI-tagged Lakadong turmeric.Launched at Sanchar Bhavan in New Delhi, the initiative aims to transform Meghalaya’s agricultural sector by moving farmers from traditional commodity production towards a value-driven, entrepreneurship-led ecosystem. Through a Community-Public-Private Partnership (CPPP) model, the project focuses on strengthening processing capabilities, improving market access an..

Staunch Electronics Expands EMS Capabilities Amid India’s Manufacturing Growth

Staunch Electronics India, an Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS), Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), and Original Design Manufacturer (ODM), is strengthening its presence in India’s growing electronics manufacturing ecosystem through its focus on manufacturing excellence, innovation, and customer-centric partnerships.Founded in 2014, Staunch Electronics India has built over a decade of manufacturing expertise, providing electronic manufacturing solutions across multiple industries. The company offers integrated EMS, OEM, and ODM services covering product engineering, design support..

Dreamfly plans 200 MWh drone battery facility

Dreamfly Innovations has announced plans to establish a 40,000 sq ft aviation battery manufacturing facility in North Bengaluru with an initial annual capacity of 100 MWh, scalable to 200 MWh.The facility will produce advanced batteries for defence, surveillance, inspection, agricultural spraying, logistics and emerging air mobility platforms such as air taxis. The company said the project would strengthen India’s domestic drone supply chain by expanding local production of a critical unmanned aerial system component.Dreamfly currently reports indigenous content of 77% in its products. The c..