Sanctions revised for Owaisi and Bahadurpura flyovers 4-5 years after inauguration

The Telangana government has revised the sanction for the construction of flyovers at Owaisi Hospital and Bahadurpura junctions in Hyderabad from ₹132 crore to ₹161 crore, citing increased costs arising from changes in design, utility shifting, GST and price escalation.

The revised sanction was issued by the Municipal Administration and Urban Development Department, following a proposal from the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC).

The two flyovers were completed and opened to traffic -- Owaisi flyover on December 28, 2021, and Bahadurpura flyover on March 31, 2022.

The original proposal for Owaisi Hospital junction was modified to extend the flyover to Midhani junction, while changes at Bahadurpura included altering the flyover configuration and alignment to avoid acquisition of part of a mosque premises. Other modifications included changes in construction methods and pavement design.

The GHMC cited higher-than-anticipated expenditure on utility shifting, GST, price escalation, project management consultancy and miscellaneous works as reasons for the revised estimate. The cost of shifting utilities, for instance, rose from the estimated ₹12.76 crore to ₹30.62 crore, while the provision for price escalation increased from ₹8.62 crore to about ₹17.33 crore.

The government also approved the use of permanent form work for two critical spans of the Bahadurpura flyover, citing space constraints, underground utilities and the need to maintain traffic movement during construction.