Speed Post News Network
New Delhi : Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari inaugurated and laid foundation of 14 NH projects in Telangana on December 21, 2020, thru virtual mode. These projects include 765.663 km long roads worth Rs 13,169 crore.
The event was attended by Union Ministers G Kishan Reddy and Gen Dr V K Singh, Telangana Minister for Roads & Buildings, Legislative Affairs and Housing Vemula Prashanth Reddy, Speaker of Teleangana Assembly Pocharam Srinivas Reddy, MPs, and MLAs, in addition to senior officers from the Centre and the State.
Speaking on the occasion, Gadkari said that a total of 59 road works with approved length of 1,918 km and a cost of Rs 17,617 crore have been sanctioned in Telangana in the last 6 years. Of this, 1,782 km length has already been sanctioned with a cost of 15,689 crore. He said that almost 33 districts in the State today have connectivity with National Highways. The remaining district Peddapally will also be connected to the network soon.
Gadkari said there has been a phenomenal growth of 55.71 per cent NH length in last 6 years in the State. Nearly 1,400 km NH length has been added during this period in the State, he said. Under CRIF scheme, a sum of Rs 2,436 crore has been sanctioned till now for the State of which Rs 1,483 crore have already been released, he added, according to a PIB release.
Gadkari informed that while construction of 841 km roads worth Rs 4,793 crore has been completed since 2014-15 in Telangana, work is going on for construction of another 809 km at a cost of Rs 13,012 crore. He added that during the current financial year, 13 major projects costing Rs. 8,957 Crore of length 328 km are proposed to be awarded in the State. Three major projects for 192 km worth Rs 2,339 crore are under bidding, he said. Another 21 NH works with total length of 1,422 km and total cost of Rs 27,116 crore are under various stages of DPR preparation. These works are likely to be completed by FY 2024-25.
The Minister said that in line with the Prime Minister’s vision for a New India, development of world-class transport infrastructure has been prioritised through initiatives such as the Bharatmala Pariyojana, India’s largest ever infrastructure development programme. The Pariyojana was conceptualised through a scientific study of freight traffic movement between key origin-destination pairs to enable efficient freight and passenger movement.
Projects with length 1,730 km have been identified for development under Bharatmala Pariyojana in the state of Telangana. Out of these 14 projects, 9 projects with length 423 km have already been awarded at a cost of Rs 7,400 crore, Gadkari added.
Gadkari called upon the State to take up diversification of agriculture into economic productivity. He said the country is already over-producing sugar and rice, and sufficient stock are available with the government. The surplus may be converted to Ethanol, which can be used s an alternative fuel for vehicles. He said, this will not only improve farmers’ income, but will also be an indigenous source of fuels for the country.
Development of greenfield and access-controlled corridor has also been planned in Telangana to ease-out traffic on existing corridors, reduce travel time and costs, and also provide a boost to the economy. They include:
- Surat,Ahmadnagar, Solapur, Kurnool, Chennai (75 km length in Telangana)
- Suryapet – Khammam – Devarapalle (164 km length in Telangana)
- Indore – Hyderabad (136 km length in Telangana)