Centre approves elevated corridors in defence lands in Hyderabad

The elevated corridors will ensure smooth flow of traffic along the Hyderabad-Nagpur National Highway and the Hyderabad-Karimnagar Rajiv Highway, promising a boost to regional transportation infrastructure

Hyderabad: Putting an end to an eight-year-long wait, the Defence Ministry on Friday gave the green light for the construction of elevated corridors on defence lands in Hyderabad. The elevated corridors will ensure smooth flow of traffic along the Hyderabad-Nagpur National Highway and the Hyderabad-Karimnagar Rajiv Highway, promising a boost to regional transportation infrastructure.

With the construction of elevated corridors now approved, traffic issues plaguing routes from Hyderabad to Shamirpet and Hyderabad to Medchal are expected to be alleviated. It will also mark development of transportation routes towards North Telangana.

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During his recent visit to Delhi, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy had met union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and sought permission for the construction of elevated corridors on the defence lands. The Centre responded on Friday to the repeated requests from the State government and gave necessary approvals.

Responding to the same, the Chief Minister thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and officials from the Defence Ministry.

Earlier in 2016, the State government led by K Chandrashekhar Rao had initially proposed for transfer of defence lands in Hyderabad for construction of elevated skyways, corridors and link roads to ease traffic congestion in and around Hyderabad.

The issue was pursued with the Centre repeatedly with the State government, former Minister KT Rama Rao in particular, submitting representations to the Prime Minister and five Defence Ministers including Arun Jaitley, Manohar Parikkar, Nitin Gadkari, Nirmala Sitharaman and Rajnath Singh, in the last eight years.

The Municipal Administration department proposed to construct two elevated corridors from Paradise junction to Outer Ring Road junction near Kandlakoya on National Highway-44 and Jubilee Bus Station to Outer Ring Road junction near Shamirpet. The officials also sought transfer of defence land for creating link roads and widening roads. The State government also offered necessary land as well as funds in exchange for defence land. Though the State government followed up the issue regularly, there was no response from the Centre.

However, just a few days ahead of Modi’s visit to Telangana next week, the approval has come, finally clearing the way for the much awaited projects.

The State government had sought a total of 139 acres of defence land for construction of both the elevated corridors. While 83 acres were required for the construction of the elevated corridor with a total length of 11.3 km from Paradise Junction to ORR junction on the Rajiv Rahadari, around 56 acres were required for construction of the second corridor, which would be of a length of 18.3 km proposed on the Nagpur Highway (NH-44) from Paradise Junction to ORR near Kandlakoya, including a double-decker (for Metro Rail) corridor.