The Hindu 18.12.2009
HMDA office proposal ‘on hold’
Empty coffers, piling bills spell trouble for HMDA
Madhapur project plan worked out at Rs.80 crore
HYDERABAD: In ‘deep financial distress’ with empty coffers and piling up of bills for various works to be cleared, the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) appears to has kept it’s much publicised plans of a central office complex at Madhapur in a ‘very deep freeze’.
The project plan has been worked out at an ambitious Rs.80 crore with the proposed world class office building incorporating Green Building concepts (Platinum rating) with high energy efficiency and environment friendly.
Alongside an existing lake on the northern side of the site, it is to roll out on 8.50 acre site at HITEX premises and have a built up area of around 4.50 lakh sft to house all the different wings of the Authority.
Former Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy had laid the foundation stone for the project in August 2008 and the HMDA invited architects of national and international repute for innovative conceptual plans and decided to select the ones furnished by Israel-based Yashar Architects for implementation. The firm has to prepare all the required plans and drawings based on the basis of selected conceptual proposals. However, the issue had remained there itself with the HMDA with its empty coffers failing to even consider of managing such a whopping budget.
Officials concede that the proposal might take quite some to take shape as the Authority was struggling to meet its present financial commitments on different infrastructure projects. Financial institutions which were approached by the HMDA with an offer of mortgaging a slice of its land bank for money in return too did not give any positive commitments so far.
“All of our ongoing projects are facing troubles and bills are just piling up without timely clearance and where is the question of raising Rs.80 crore for the complex,” points out another official admitting that even for the pending works on P.V. Narasimha Rao Elevated Expressway, the HMDA has commitments to the tune of several crores of rupees.
