KCR seeks nod for RRR southern part

Urges Centre’s intervention in taking up six-laning of Hyderabad-Vijayawada section of NH 65

Hyderabad: Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao appealed to Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Monday to sanction the southern part of the Regional Ring Road (RRR) covering 182 km around Hyderabad under Bharatmala Pariyojana. He also thanked the Union Minister for sanctioning the northern part of the RRR comprising Sangareddy-Gajwel-Choutuppal section covering 158 km earlier.

The Chief Minister, who has been camping in New Delhi since September 1, has already met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. Subsequently, he has been meeting with other Union Ministers to discuss various pending issues pertaining to the State. Chandrashekhar Rao submitted representations to Gadkari seeking sanction of several National Highways and road development projects as well as release of funds for pending highway projects.

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Chandrashekhar Rao urged the Union Minister to consider certain modifications in the alignment of Gajwel-Yadadri stretch on the northern part of RRR, considering the development works taken up by the State government since 2018 when initial proposals for the project were submitted. The State government has proposed development of 340-km-long RRR around Hyderabad city where the Centre has approved the 158-km-long northern part of RRR between Sangareddy-Gajwel-Choutuppal section. The 182-km southern part of RRR is proposed between Choutuppal-Shadnagar-Sangareddy section. The State government had already submitted all details including alignment proposal and traffic data along with necessary clarifications sought by Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.

The Chief Minister also sought the Ministry’s intervention in taking up six-laning of the Hyderabad-Vijayawada section of NH 65, an important corridor which is a vital link between the capitals of the two Telugu States. In his memorandum, he said the Hyderabad-Vijayawada section of NH 65 was four-laned in 2012 under BOT (Build-Operate-Transfer) mode. According to the agreement with the concessionaire GMR Hyd-Vij Expressways Limited, six-laning of the corridor was to be completed by April 2024. However, the concessionaire is learnt to have raised a dispute and is not showing any inclination to take up the six-laning. He said the present traffic on the highway was more than 40,000 passenger car units.

The Centre had already accorded in-principle approval for upgradation of a total 3,306 km of State roads as National Highways in Telangana. The Chief Minister thanked the Union Minister for declaring 2,168 km of these total State roads as National Highways in Telangana. He urged the latter to notifiy four roads having a total lenth of 442 km too as National Highways from the remaining balance of 1,138 km. They include Choutuppal-Amangal-Shadnagar-Kandi (182 km which is part of RRR), Karimnagar-Siricilla-Kamareddy-Yellareddy-Pitlam (162 km), Kothakota- Gudur up to Mantralayam (70 km) and Zaheerabad-Bidar-Deglur (25 km).

Further, Chandrashekhar Rao requested for sanction of pending CRIF (Central Road and Infrastructure Fund) and increase the fund allocations to complete the approved road project within next two financial years (2021-22 and 2022-23). The State government submitted proposals with an outlay of Rs 744 crore for development of State roads under CRIF, but the Centre approved allocation of only Rs 250 crore per year.

The Chief Minister also thanked the Centre for notifying the new NH from Kalwakurthy in Telangana to Nandyal in Andhra Pradesh as NH 167 K. He sought four laning of Hyderabad Outer Ring Road to Kalwakurthy section of NH 765, from the existing two lane highway, considering the present traffic and future requirements. He informed that the present traffic upto Kalwakurthy on NH 765 is about 14,000 PCUs and the traffic will further increase after the Kalwakurthy-Karivena section of NH 167 K is developed. He said the proposed NH 167 K with a new bridge across River Krishna at Somasila will reduce the distance between Hyderabad and Tirupati, Chennai etc by about 80 km.

‘Gadkari promises to approve two NHs’

Telangana State Planning Board vice-chairman Vinod Kumar expressed happiness over Union Minister for Road Transport Nitin Gadkari’s assurance to consider development of the proposed 165-km Karimnagar-Sircilla-Kamareddy-Yellareddy-Pitlam road into a national highway under Bharatmala Pariyojana. He said the Union Minister had already issued orders to officials concerned to prepare a detailed project report in this regard.

Vinod Kumar said the Union Minister had responded positively to a representation submitted by Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao during a meeting held in Delhi on Monday.

Gadkari also gave in-principle approval for Karimnagar-Challur-Tekumatla-Bhupalpalli road for development as a national highway.

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