This story is from September 13, 2020

Centre yet to release funds for Telangana highways

Despite repeated representations by the Telangana government, the Union road transport and highways ministry has not released maintenance funds for the 936 km-long highways in the state.
Centre yet to release funds for Telangana highways
The state government’s plea for the release of Rs 213 crore towards repair and maintenance of national highways has yielded no response so far
HYDERABAD: Despite repeated representations by the Telangana government, the Union road transport and highways ministry has not released maintenance funds for the 936 km-long highways in the state.
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One of these highways passes through Gajwel, the constituency represented by chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao. The 150 km-long 161AA national highway stretches from Sangareddy to Narsapur, Toopran and runs via Gajwel, Pragnapur, Jagdevpur, Bhuvanagiri before terminating at its junction with NH-65 near Choutuppal.
The highway is also part of the regional ring road project.
The state government’s plea for the release of Rs 213 crore towards repair and maintenance of national highways has yielded no response so far. “The ministry has not released the funds for the last one year,” said state roads and buildings minister Vemula Prashant Reddy.
With no funds available, the state’s roads and buildings department is unable to take up road repairs. The recent incessant rains, that battered the state, worsened the situation and the estimates for repairs have shot up.
Enquiries by TOI revealed that these eight national highways were transferred to National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) but funds were not sanctioned by the union ministry.
NHAI regional officer A Krishna Prasad confirmed to TOI that their chairman has written to the union ministry that except for the 78-km stretch between Karimnagar and Warangal, the highways authority cannot spend its funds on remaining stretches as there is no recovery mechanism in the form of toll tax.
“Now it is the Union ministry which has to take a call on release of funds for maintenance of these roads or to take back these roads from NHAI. A decision is expected soon,” a source said.
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