New National Highway along Godavari banks

The State government proposed a new National Highway along the banks of the Godavari, from Badrachalam to Kautala adjoining Maharashtra via Kaleshwaram temple, covering a distance of 370 kilometres, said Minister for Roads and Buildings T. Nageshwara Rao.

Speaking after laying the foundation stone for high-level bridges across Mulavagu rivulet at Vemulawada temple town at a cost of Rs. 28 crore as part of the beautification of the temple shrine, the Minister said that they have ordered for a detailed project report (DPR) for laying of new National Highway covering major irrigation projects of Kaleshwaram in Karimnagar district. He said that the new NH would benefit Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh.

He said the bridge across the Godavari, connecting Kaleshwaram to Sironcha in Maharashtra constructed at a cost of Rs. 200 crore, would be completed within a month.

The Bornapalli bridge in the district would be completed in seven months.

Stating that they have taken up a total of 46 bridges in Karimnagar district at a cost of Rs. 300 crore, Mr. Rao said that they were also constructing check dams at the bridges to store water and recharge ground water level in the region.

The government has taken up four-lane works from district headquarters to Hyderabad city, and is making the roads of all mandals double-lane.

He said that Telangana state has emerged a role model in the country with the implementation of the Mission Kakatiya and Mission Bagheeratha programmes. The people who took the State lightly are now shocked to see the progress on all fronts, he maintained.

Later, the Minister participated in the Haritha Haaram programme by planting a sapling at the Government Junior College in the temple town.

Minister for Finance and Civil Supplies Etala Rajender said that the Haritha Haaram would be taken up on a grand scale from July 8 to 15 to take up massive plantation to protect the environment.

Earlier, Mr, Rao and Mr. Rajender offered prayers at Sri Raja Rajeshwara Swamy devasthanam. The temple authorities accorded a warm welcome to the Ministers and presented them with prasadam and a portrait of the temple. Karimnagar MP B. Vinod Kumar, Vemulawada legislator Ch. Ramesh Babu, TSCOB chairman K. Ravinder Rao, and Vemulawada sarpanch Uma were also present.