KTR Questions Telangana Govt’s Decision on Hyderabad Metro Debt Waiver

By A Staff Reporter

Hyderabad: Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president KT Rama Rao on Thursday raised concerns over the Telangana government’s decision to waive ₹15,000 crore of debt related to the Hyderabad Metro project. He argued that the financial responsibility should have remained with the concessionaire, Larsen & Toubro (L&T), which had agreed to operate the metro under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model until 2070.

In a statement shared on social media, Rama Rao said, “While L&T was obligated to the state of Telangana to run the metro in a PPP mode till 2070, I don’t understand why the state government has taken a decision to waive ₹15,000 crore and put that burden of the debt on the exchequer. What made the state government take this decision?”

The Hyderabad Metro, one of India’s largest PPP urban transport projects, has faced financial stress in recent years, compounded by pandemic-related ridership losses. However, critics argue that shifting the debt burden to the state could strain public finances.