Bellampalli–Gadchiroli Highway still delayed; Locals hope Gadkari visit will revive project

The proposed Bellampalli–Gadchiroli greenfield highway remains stalled despite approval in 2023. Meant to curb Maoist activity and boost rural development, the project awaits progress. Locals hope Nitin Gadkari’s visit to inaugurate a nearby NH stretch will revive momentum.

Mancherial: The proposed national highway between Bellampalli and Gadchiroli remains a distant dream for residents of Mancherial and Kumram Bheem Asifabad districts.

In January 2023, the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways approved and notified an aerial survey for a 63-kilometre four-lane greenfield highway between Bellampalli and Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli, under the Bharatmala Pariyojana scheme. The road was planned to curb Maoist activity and promote economic development in backward regions.

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This highway is part of the 530-kilometre Hyderabad–Raipur Expressway, taken up at an estimated cost of Rs 45,000 crore. The route connects Raipur to Hyderabad via Durg, Rajnandgaon, Gadchiroli, Gondpipri, Bellampalli, Mancherial, Ramagundam, and Karimnagar, significantly reducing travel time between the two cities.

As per the NHAI notification, the 63-kilometre expressway will pass through 48 villages across eight mandals in the two districts. The 70-metre-wide road will start at Annaram village in Thandur mandal of Mancherial and end at Veeravelli in Koutala mandal of Kumram Bheem Asifabad, before entering Gadchiroli.

Preliminary estimates suggest the highway will require 225 to 270 acres of land and will cut across agricultural land without displacing any settlements. The project aims to reduce Maoist influence and improve rural economic infrastructure.

Locals had pinned hopes on the Union government’s proposal, expecting growth in agriculture, marketing, and transport facilities. However, the project has seen no progress in two years.

Residents hope the scheduled visit of Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari—who is set to inaugurate the 94-kilometre NH-363 between Mancherial and Goyagaon in Kumram Bheem Asifabad at a cost of Rs 3,500 crore on Tuesday—may provide momentum to the stalled project.