Telangana drives slowly on expressway

Hyderabad: It’s not the defence ministry but the state government which is responsible for the sorely-needed elevated expressway from Patny to Shamirpet not taking off.

The defence authorities are willing to part with land for the expressway provided the state government allots an equivalent parcel of land at an alternative place.
The Telangana roads and buildings department needs over 100 acres of land to construct two elevated expressways, one from Paradise to Shamirpet and another from Balanagar crossroads to Medak road.

Sources said defence officials were insisting that the state government also provide land to set up its field firing range. The TS government did not renew the lease on the 617-acre field firing range at Shamirpet in Ranga Reddy district.
Though the Army still holds the land, the state government can take it back any time.

Alternative land was identified in Anantapur district for the field firing range in undivided Andhra Pradesh but the dynamics changed after state bifurcation.
“As and when the government calls a meeting with defence and Cantonment authorities and allots land, there would be no problem in getting 100 acres of defence land for the expressways and another 50 acres for flyovers and grade separators,” sources said.

Roads and buildings chief engineer Ganapathi Reddy said the detailed project reports of the expressways had been submitted to the defence ministry. “The projects will take off as soon as alternative land is allotted to the defence authorities. The government will convene a meeting,” he said. Contractors have told the government they would bid for the projects only after it has acquired land.