AP govt to go ahead with Metro Rail without DMRC: Minister

Hyderabad, Sep 24 (UNI) The Andhra Pradesh Government is determined to go ahead with the Rs 12,132 crore Hyderabad Metro Rail Project without the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) as its consultant, Information Minister A Ramanarayan Reddy said today.

He told mediapersons here the project was awarded to a consortium led by the Maytas Infra on Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) basis.

It was appreciated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh himself as the ''best model'' for other states to emulate, he added.

Replying to a question, he said the project did not figure in today's Cabinet meeting.

The State government yesterday terminated its five-year contract with the DMRC, which acted as an consultant for the project, after its Managing Director E Sreedharan wrote to Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia, making ''wild allegations'' and ''smelling a political scam.'' UNI SM MDG SKB CS1800