Formula-E races In Hyderabad Cancelled

During the tenure of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi, led by former Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, in Telangana, the party appeared to emphasize its priorities to garner national and international attention, often overlooking the practical concerns at the grassroots level.

Hyderabad had its first e-Prix earlier this year 2023, and they’ve got another one coming up in the 2024 racing calendar. They announced it in November, and the race day is February 10, 2024—just a little less than six weeks away! 

Then, K. T. Rama Rao, KCR’s son, was in charge of industries and technology in Hyderabad. He tried to make the city famous globally with his creative ideas.

One of his ideas involved hosting Formula-E races in the center of Hyderabad along the Hussain Sagar banks. While it drew attention from international participants, it also led to significant disruptions for the local residents over several weeks.

To create the race track for car events, hundreds of trees were uprooted, causing significant environmental impact. Additionally, traffic diversions were enforced for several days, causing substantial inconvenience and challenges for the local residents.

However, the recently established Congress government in Telangana, led by A. Revanth Reddy, is focused on its own set of priorities and is not inclined to endorse extravagant ideas like those promoted by the previous administration.

When the organizers of the Formula-E races approached the government seeking approval for their upcoming event scheduled for February 10, 2024, Revanth Reddy, the head of the Telangana Congress government, firmly declined to grant clearance.

Consequently, the organizers officially declared the cancellation of the Formula-E races on Tank Bund. This decision came after they sought clarification from the newly formed Congress-led government in Telangana upon receiving a letter that could potentially impact the scheduled Hyderabad race.

The statement conveyed, “In light of a recent official communication from the new Telangana government, Formula E is urgently seeking clarification on its contractual obligations under the agreement and how it might affect the scheduled Hyderabad race. Given the content of the received letter, Formula E has expressed concern that the race may not proceed as originally planned.”

The senior executive team of Formula E held a meeting with the newly appointed leadership of the Telangana government immediately after the recent elections earlier this month.

Subsequent discussions have been ongoing between the two parties since then.

As the event is just a few weeks away and is in its final stages of preparation, Formula E, along with its partners and suppliers, has already made substantial commercial investments in the upcoming race.

Leaders of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) asserted that the inaugural Hyderabad E-Prix in February of this year generated nearly $84 million in positive economic impact for the region.

This figure significantly exceeded the initial investments made by Formula E and the Government of Telangana in organizing the event.

The sources from Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) highlighted, “Former IT minister K. T. Rama Rao played a proactive role in attracting the Formula E event to Hyderabad, placing the city prominently in the global electric mobility landscape and providing a significant boost to the industry on a national level.

However, the city is now missing out on a major event due to unforeseen reasons following the change in leadership in the state.”