Centre clears Amaravati-Hyderabad greenfield expressway

Hyderabad:Central government has green signalled the Amaravati-Hyderabad Greenfield Expressway. Accordingly, the Ministry of Home Affairs has directed Department of Roads and Transport to prepare a Detailed Project Report.

It may be recalled that on February 3, union home secretary Govind Mohan had held an extensive meeting with officials from 15 departments, including senior officials from central roads and transport, steel, coal mines, agriculture, petroleum and railway departments.

During the meeting, discussions had been held about pending issues under the AP Reorganisation Act as well as proposals from the governments of AP and Telangana. The minutes of this meeting had recently been sent by the home ministry to the chief secretaries of both AP and Telangana states.

According to information, central government has given a green signal for the Amaravati-Hyderabad Greenfield Expressway. Officials stated that the central government has pledged to fund the entire construction cost, including land acquisition, for the expressway estimated to cost nearly ₹25,000 crore.

Officials mentioned that the expressway will be a six-lane greenfield project, meaning it will be a completely new construction bypassing existing roads.

Though the central government has granted preliminary approval acknowledging its potential benefits, crucial steps like finalising the DPR and land acquisition are yet to be completed.

Officials said the Amaravati-Hyderabad Greenfield Express Highway will reduce travel time, enhance economic activity, and might spur development of new towns and commercial centres along its route, leading to a more vibrant and interconnected region.

Further, in response to state government's request to explore opportunities for establishing another refinery in AP, home ministry has advised the Petroleum Department accordingly.

The Railways have been instructed to speed up work on the railway zone headquartered in Visakhapatnam, with operations commencing from there within two years.

In addition, the home ministry has directed officials to initiate steps for release of pending funds allocated for backward areas in AP.