BRS’ flagship initiative SRDP loses sheen under Congress, works move at snail’s pace

The SRDP was intended to develop Hyderabad infrastructure under which the past government, led by K Chandrashekhar Rao, had initiated 42 new projects

Hyderabad: The Strategic Road Development Programme (SRDP), once a flagship initiative aimed at transforming Hyderabad’s infrastructure, has seen a shift in focus under the Congress government. The pace of work on different works taken up under the programme had slowed down. Even the payments pertaining to the SRDP projects have been facing issues.

The SRDP was intended for developing Hyderabad infrastructure under which the government of K Chandrashekhar Rao had initiated 42 new projects. As many as 36 of them were completed successfully. The remaining projects were also scheduled to be completed in 2024.

---

However, after the Congress government took charge, all ongoing SRDP works were moving at a snail’s pace. In the last eight months, there has been no proper monitoring of the works and even the payments were not being made in time. The SRDP has been instrumental in addressing the city’s growing traffic and infrastructure needs. The completed projects include a mix of flyovers, underpasses, road over bridges (RoBs), and road under bridges (RuBs), which had significantly improved the connectivity and reduced congestion in various parts of the city, former Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister KT Rama Rao pointed out.

The programme had drastically changed the face of road infrastructure in the city. The completion of these projects marked a major step towards making Hyderabad a world-class city. The SRDP’s success was evident in the improved traffic flow and enhanced road safety across the city. The initiative continued to receive praise from residents and urban planners alike for its comprehensive approach to urban development.

Pointing out the delays in the implementation of the SRDP projects, Rama Rao posted on X urging the government to continue to work on improving infrastructure by initiating Phase-3 of SRDP for which all plans were submitted and approved by the previous government. This list included expressways alongside Musi, tunnels under KBR Park, flyovers, underpasses and many other grade separators. He said the new government had not maintained the same level of commitment to the SRDP.