TRS MP urges Gadkari to approve road projects in Telangana

HYDERABAD: Miffed over Union road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari laying the foundation stone for some road projects in Andhra Pradesh, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) reacted sharply and demanded that all the road projects demanded for Telangana should also be approved. “The Telangana government had requested for several road projects but they have not been cleared by the Centre.CM KCR himself had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and also minister Nitin Gadkari several times asking them to approve the projects for Telangana but the centre did not,” Karimnagar MP B Vinod Kumar said on Tuesday.
Vinod Kumar said the Telangana government was not against any development that was being aided by the Centre in Andhra Pradesh but it had ignored the requests of Telangana.
In a letter to Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday, Vinod Kumar, referring to the foundation stone that Gadkari laid for 32 projects in AP and inaugurated seven of them worth Rs 17,000 cr, said, “No projects are being inaugurated by you in Telangana on some pretext or the other." He urged the minister to “accord sanctions and lay foundations in Telangana on a par with Andhra Pradesh” before the budget session of Parliament.
“Our demand is that Nitin Gadkari should approve the projects and come to lay the foundation stone for them in Telangana,” Vinod Kumar said at a press conference.
The MP pointed out that a regional ring road had been planned for the city at a distance of 50 km but this was also yet to be approved. In a fresh letter to Gadkari, Vinod Kumar said in spite of the state submitting alignment proposals and giving an undertaking to bear 50 per cent of the land acquisition costs, the Centre had not given its sanction.
In the letter, Vinod Kumar said after several representations from the state government, the Centre had given its approval in principle for upgradation of national highways of 25 state roads . However, so far only 1,388 km of state roads have been notified as national highways. He said the CM had himself had written a letter once on January 9, 2019 for approval of several roads and national highways under taking to bear 50 per cent of the land acquisition. Approvals are pending for state highways upgradation to national highways in Hyderabad from the junction of ORR at Gowrelly, Thorrur, Nellkuduru-Mahabubabad-Yellandu-Kothagudeam junction at NH 30. Others stretches are from Medak-Yellareddy-Rudrur, Bodhan-Basar-Bhainsa, Medak-Siddipet-Elkathurthy, Choutuppal-Shadnagar-Kandi, which is the southern part of the regional ring road for Hyderabad.
Vinod Kumar said 13 state road having 1767 km length were are yet to be declared national highways despite in principle approval received: These include: Medak-Ruduru-Bhodan-Basar-Bhansai junction at NH-61 – length 166 km, Karimnagar- junction at NH 563-Sircilla-Kamareddy-Yellareddy-Pitlam junction at NH 161 – 165 km, Sarapaka-Eturunagaram-Kaleshwaram-Chennur-Kauthala-Sirpur road – 396 km, Miryalaguda-Piduguralla-Narsaraopet – 26 km, Bhadrachalam-Jeelugumilli-Jangareddygudem-Devarapally – 68 km, Zaheerabad-Bidar-Deglur-25 km, Choutuppal-Ibrahimpatnam-Amangal-Shadnagar-Chevella-Shankarpally-Kandi, NH 563 – 133 km, Junction at Hyderabad outer ring road-Valigonda-Thorrur-Nellikduru-Mahububabad-Yellandu-Kothagudem, NH 30 – 234 km, Tandur-Kodangal-Mahtralayam road – 70 km, Rangashaipet-Chintanekkonda-Kesamudram-Mahabubabad – 71 km, and Bhupalpally-Anshanpally-Gorlaveedru-Neredpally Thanda (Chainpaka)-Garmillapally-Burapally-Emped-Vavilala-Jammikunta-veenavanka-Karimangar – 131 km.