Cabinet gives nod for AP Municipal Tramways Bill

Hyderabad: The Andhra Pradesh Cabinet, in order to give legal cover for the Hyderabad Metro Rail Project and future urban transportation projects in other cities of the State, has approved the AP Municipal Tramways (Construction, Operation & Maintenance) Bill 2008.

“The AP Municipal Tramways Act was prepared by an eminent team of legal experts and Supreme Court Advocates on the basis of the inputs given by technical experts,” Mr Anam Ramnarayan Reddy, Information and Public Relations Minister, told newspersons after the Cabinet meeting.

He added that the Act (initially being promulgated in the form of an Ordinance) empowers the State Government to take up metro rail projects in the municipal areas of the State either as Government projects or as public-private partnership projects through concession agreements.

The Act will also have an enabling provision to set up a Metro Safety Board where the designated Safety Commissioner will be looking after the issues associated with safety. Mr Reddy said that the promulgation of this Ordinance would enable smooth implementation of the Hyderabad Metro Rail project for which the financial bids are due on July 4.

He added that the relevant features of the Tramway Acts of West Bengal, Karnataka, Maharashtra and those of the Delhi Metro (Operation and Maintenance) Act were relied and improved upon to prepare the AP Municipal Tramways Act.

The State Government has also decided to launch a new scheme – Integrated Development of Internal C.C. Roads and C.C. Drainages with PVC pipes in the villages of all rural mandals in the State.

“This would accelerate and smoothen the process of participation of people at village level so as the help them join with the main stream in towns and cities,” Mr Reddy said.

A Budget provision of Rs 992.7 crore, Rs 90 lakh per rural mandal, has been made during the current financial years.

The Council of Ministers has given its go ahead for an increase in the conversion cost in mid-day meal programme by Re 1 per child daily.

“This move is expected to benefit around 60 lakh children over 220 working days during the current year and the additional cost estimated is Rs 142.14 crore,” he said.

The Cabinet ratified action taken by the Energy Department for the financial year 2007-08 permitting APTransco to mobilise Rs 125 crore by private placement of APTransco Vidyut Bonds duly providing Government Guarantee with budgetary support to discharge the liability towards arrears of agricultural consumers waived by the earlier Government and service the loan.