BRS blames Congress, BJP for deliberate delay of RRR project

BRS MLA V Prashanth Reddy says while the BJP took nearly four years to give a final nod for RRR alignment, the current Congress government was delaying it further by taking up realignment

Hyderabad: BRS MLA and former Minister V Prashanth Reddy on Tuesday accused both the Congress government in Telangana and the BJP-led Centre of betraying the people of Telangana by deliberately delaying the Regional Ring Road (RRR) project for over six years. He said that while the BJP took nearly four years to give a final nod for RRR alignment, the current Congress government was delaying it further by taking up realignment.

Speaking at a press conference at Telangana Bhavan, Prashanth Reddy said the RRR was the brainchild of former Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao, who conceived it soon after Telangana State formation. “KCR pursued the project with the Centre since 2015. The DPR was sent in 2018 and approved only in 2021 after repeated delays. Even after approval, the Centre did not cooperate in acquiring certain lands, and also sought a Rs 2,000 crore deposit. Though just one year was left for us, we completed 80 per cent of land acquisition,” he said.

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The former Minister stated that despite Rs 3,000 crore being allocated for land acquisition by the then BRS government, not a single rupee was spent under the Congress government. “They admitted that 80 per cent land has been acquired, but compensation was not released to farmers. How is that possible? Where did the money go?” he questioned, accusing the government of altering the project alignment to benefit real estate interests linked to the ruling party leaders.

He also blamed the Centre for blocking the project’s progress. “Both BJP and Congress have eight MPs each from Telangana. None have the courage to meet the Prime Minister or seek funds. Even the Roads and Buildings Minister (Komatireddy Venkat Reddy) keeps meeting Nitin Gadkari and making announcements, but nothing has moved forward,” he remarked.

Prashanth Reddy said tenders worth Rs 7,000 crore were invited for the RRR’s northern section, but have been deferred thrice without explanation. “If everything is transparent, why aren’t the tenders opened? Is it because there’s no commission?” he asked, demanding that both governments stop political games and start the works of the RRR project, which was vital for Hyderabad’s future growth.