The Metro Rail is being inaugurated amid much fanfare on Tuesday. The Prime Minister will formally dedicate this prestigious rapid transport facility to the nation by inaugurating the Metro pylon at Miyapur. But, amid the surfeit of people claiming credit for the Metro success lies the silent contribution of late YS Rajasekhara Reddy, who envisioned, conceptualized and sweated it out for the Metro Rail project during his tenure.

Late YSR with Metro officials (File photo)

YSR was the first to envisioned the Metro rail project as an answer to traffic snarls. He strongly believed that it was an effective and non-polluting alternative to the city's traffic woes. Soon after coming to power in 2004, he began planning for a Metro rail service in Hyderabad and it was on his initiative that the Delhi Metro Rail authorities visited Hyderabad in 2005 and prepared a comprehensive project report by 2007. This was the seed out which the mighty acorn that the Metro Rail today was born. YSR wanted three corridors covering 73 km in the first phase. The works were envisaged on LB Nagar-Miyapur stretch (29 km), JBS - Falakuma (15 km) and Nagole to Rayadurgam (29 km).

He was actively involved in planning the works and in getting the necessary clearances quickly. The metro rail office was set up in 2009 July and the tender process began soon after. The project was given to Maytas and after Maytas went bust due to financial misdemeanors, YSR Government had awarded the project to L and T.

The contribution of this great son of soil for this state-of-the-art transport facility cannot be ignored. As Metro Rail is getting inaugurated, it is also time we remember his contribution to the project.