Acquire land for NH projects, Kishan to Telangana CM

Hyderabad: Union minister of coal and mines G Kishan Reddy on Sunday wrote a letter to Telangana chief minister A Revanth Reddy urging the latter to expedite land acquisition for completing the pending national highway projects in Telangana.

"Since 1948, around 2,500 km of national highways have been laid in Telangana. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the BJP-led NDA govt facilitated the addition of another 2,500 km over the past 11 years," Kishan Reddy said in the letter.

Currently, an additional 2,500 km of highways are in various stages of development. In addition to the proposed Regional Ring Road (RRR), there are 16 other road projects, totalling 691.52 km, with an estimated cost of Rs 12,619.27 crore, either in the bidding phase or already assigned for construction.

To proceed with these projects, 1,550.529 hectares of land is required. Despite multiple communications from the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and the relevant Union ministry to the state government, only 904.097 hectares have been transferred, according to the minister. The remaining 646.432 hectares are yet to be allocated to the NHAI, hindering the commencement of the works, Kishan Reddy noted.

The development of national highways not only enhances connectivity but also contributes to a reduction in road accidents and promotes socio-economic growth in surrounding areas. Kishan Reddy said he appealed to the CM to take a personal interest in the land acquisition process to ensure its swift completion.