Two express highways from the city, one to Amaravati/Vijayawada and another to Bengaluru, are part of the Rs.40,800-crore highway development package announced for Telangana by the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari here on Monday.
Addressing media soon after landing in the city, Mr. Gadkari shared plans for 400 kms of express highway corridor in Telangana, at a cost of Rs.16,000 crore.
Of this, 210 kms will be part of the 550-km stretch to Bangalore, and 190 kms, of the 270-km stretch planned up to Vijayawada.
Cost for the two segments amounts to Rs.8,400 crore and Rs.7,600 crore respectively.
“This is in line with our vision to establish express highway network throughout the country. We have already begun works for the first access-control express highway at Delhi and the Delhi-Meerut express highway,” Mr. Gadkari said.
These apart, Rs.24,800 crore will be spent on development of new national highways and improvement of the existing ones, totalling to 2,500 kilometres in Telangana, Mr.Gadkari shared. Detailed Project Reports for the same are under process, and works will be taken up this year.
The projects include improvement of 104 kilometres of NH-365, between Nakrekal and Thanamcherla and Jamandipalli and Mangalawaripet with an investment of Rs.1,000 crore. Four-laning of the Yadagirigutta-Warangal highway is being taken up with Rs.1,424 crore, for which Mr.Gadkari laid foundation on Monday.
Under the Annual Plan 2015-16, highway construction works amounting to Rs.900 crore will be sanctioned for the State, Mr.Gadkari informed.
“This is not the final figure. It is still open for discussion. If recommendations come from the State government or MPs, MLAs or our party leaders for any new National Highways, we will think positively and support Telangana as a new State,” Mr. Gadkari assured.
Inland waterways
Efforts will be made to develop inland waterways and already five waterways have got parliament’s approval, he informed. A total of 111 waterway proposals have been passed by Lok Sabha and will be presented in Rajya Sabha.
A dry port is planned on Godavari river in Telangana, to serve as multi-modal hub with road, water and air connectivity, from where import and export trade can be promoted, he mentioned.
Later, Mr. Gadkari addressed a public meeting at Anand Bagh, where he reiterated NDA government’s commitment for development, creation of employment and elimination of poverty.
‘Congress obstructing development’
Accusing the Congress of looting the country in the name of the poor, Mr.Gadkari said even as the government wished to accelerate development by introducing new bills, the opposition in the Rajya Sabha is creating hurdles on its path.
He charged that a few people in Hyderabad were acting as “Pakistan’s agents” despite being born and brought up in this country.
“They don’t love this country. They want to divide it on communal and ethnic lines,” he said without naming anyone. Citing the Pathankot attack, he said the government will give a fitting reply.
This is in line with our vision to establish express highway network throughout the country
Nitin Gadkari
Union Transport and Highways Minister
This is in line with our vision to establish the network throughout the country, says Nitin Gadkari
