
Known for his explosive remarks, Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Monday triggered yet another controversy by claiming that the port city of Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh is smaller in area than two upscale localities of Hyderabad Jubilee Hills an
Known for his explosive remarks, Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Monday triggered yet another controversy by claiming that the port city of Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh is smaller in area than two upscale localities of Hyderabad—Jubilee Hills and Madhapur.
“Visakhapatnam is smaller than Madhapur and Jubilee Hills put together. Yet, the Centre has sanctioned a Metro Rail project for Vizag while denying approval for the second phase of the Hyderabad Metro,” Revanth Reddy said while speaking to reporters in Hyderabad.
The chief minister’s remarks quickly went viral on social media, sparking a fresh debate.
Some netizens criticised him for allegedly undermining Visakhapatnam’s size and growth potential.
The Andhra Pradesh government has received the Centre’s approval to develop a 46-km Visakhapatnam Metro Rail project.
The proposed network is expected to have three corridors and 42 stations, along with plans for a double-decker metro corridor between the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant and Kommadi.
The project is seen as a major step towards transforming Visakhapatnam into a future metropolitan hub.
Revanth Reddy questioned what he described as the Centre’s unequal treatment in approving Metro Rail projects.
“Despite being much smaller than Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam has received approval for a Metro Rail project, while the expansion of the Hyderabad Metro continues to face delays,” he said.
He pointed out that Metro projects had been sanctioned for Ahmedabad, cities in Uttar Pradesh and Visakhapatnam, while Telangana was not receiving similar support.
Revanth Reddy maintained that his comments were not politically motivated but were intended to highlight what he described as discrimination against Telangana in the allocation of major infrastructure projects.
He said the state government’s priority was to take over the first phase of the Hyderabad Metro and complete the proposed second-phase expansion.
The chief minister also criticised the Centre’s approach towards Telangana and questioned the role of Union Minister G Kishan Reddy in securing approvals for the state’s key infrastructure projects.
Revanth Reddy argued that delays in approving the second phase of the Hyderabad Metro could adversely affect Telangana’s urban development and economic growth.
He stressed that the Union government should provide equal encouragement and support to all states, irrespective of political considerations.
While emphasising that the Telugu-speaking states should progress through cooperation rather than competition, the chief minister reiterated that Telangana deserved the same level of support being extended to other states.