Hyderabad: Telangana State Planning Board Vice-Chairman B Vinod Kumar on Friday requested Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari to take necessary steps to commence works related to 13 National Highways (NHs) that were already sanctioned since the formation of Telangana.
In a letter addressed to Gadkari, Kumar urged him to immediately sanction 12 pending NHs in the State. The Hyderabad-Medak-Rudrur-Bhodan-Basar-Bhaisan junction on NH61, junction on NH 161 on Nizampet-Narayankhed-Bidar and Madnur-Bodhan were among the 13 NHs covering 1,531.5 kms sanctioned to the State.
The Zaheerabad-Bidar-Deglur, Miriyalaguda-Piduguralla-Narsaraopet, Tandur-Kodangal-Mahbubnagar and Medak-Siddipet-Elkathurthy were among the 12 NH projects covering 1,601 kms pending since 2014. He said Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao met Gadkari several times during his visit to New Delhi and submitted letters explaining the poor condition of roads in the State.
Vinod Kumar said he along with other MPs met Gadkari several times on behalf of the State government and submitted DPRs for 25 new roads that were in principal approved by the Ministry. But till date, only 1,531.5 km approvals were given and approval for 1,601 km was yet to be given.
“It has been brought to my notice that all the 12 NHs comprising 1,601 km were kept in abeyance on the pretext of getting clearance from Niti Aayog,” he said, adding that these roads should be connected as early as possible for the progress of the new State, and the same may be sanctioned before December 21 while inaugurating and laying the foundation stone for NHs in the State.
He said the AP State Reorganisation Act-2014 assured that the new NHs would be laid in Telangana State.
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