Road work in TS priority: Kishan Reddy

HYDERABAD: Union minister for tourism G. Kishan Reddy said that the Centre had given utmost priority for putting in place a vast road network in Telangana state. A total of 2,480 km of new national highways (NH) have been sanctioned for the state, he said.

Speaking to reporters here on Saturday, Reddy said that all districts, except Peddapalli, have NH connectivity. Only Telangana has managed to get Rs 31,624 crore for road projects while works to the tune of Rs 15,113 crore are under progress, he said. 

The minister said that the Union government had approved the regional ring road (RRR) as a national highway with 100 per cent funding. He recalled that a shot in the arm for NH connectivity came during the NDA government led by Atal Bihari Vaipayee. However, their construction was at a snail's pace during the UPA regime, he said. 

Reddy explained that the length of national highways in the state was 2,511 km before Modi became the Prime Minister in 2014. Today, it is at 4,994 km, which has increased by 99 per cent, he said. 

The minister said that Hyderabad-Bengaluru NH-44 in Telangana would be made into a six-lane from the existing four-lane at an approximate cost of Rs 4,750 crore.