Minister for Road Transport and R&B, BC Janardhan Reddy, announced that Rs Rs 6,585 crore has been sanctioned for the development of 384 kilometres of national highways in Andhra Pradesh.
Speaking to the media at the Secretariat in Amaravati on Thursday, the Minister stated that the Centre had approved Rs 6,585 crore for the development of seven national highways in the state.
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu had engaged in discussions with officials from the Prime Minister’s Office and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, which resulted in the Centre granting substantial funds for the seven highway projects.
“These seven projects, previously sanctioned for Andhra Pradesh, had been stalled due to various reasons. However, they have now been reapproved. I personally met with the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, along with other relevant officials, which has led to this positive outcome,” the Minister revealed.
“The Standing Finance Committee has removed these seven projects from the Bharat Mala Scheme and included them in the National Highways Ordinary Programme (NHO), granting their approval. Thanks to the Centre’s favourable response, another significant step has been taken towards the expansion of national highways in Andhra Pradesh,” Transport Minister Janardhan Reddy acknowledged.
The seven approved projects
The 49.9 KM Kondamudu-Perecherla National Highway
The 62.5 KM Sangemesaram-Nallakaluvu and Velugodu-Nandyal National Highway
The 62 KM Nandyal-Kurnool and Kadapa Border Section National Highway
The 78.95 KM Bepalli-Chalaparri Section National Highway
The 33.58 KM Gorantla-Hindupur National Highway
The 56.5 KM Muddanur-B Kottapalli National Highway
The 40.55 KM Pendurhi-Bavdara National Highway
The Transport Minister further stated that under the CRIF scheme, the Central Government typically allocates Rs 350 crore annually to the state. Following Andhra Pradesh’s request, the Centre has agreed to increase this amount to Rs500 crore. Additionally, the Centre has responded favourably to the proposal to upgrade 31 roads, currently managed by the Roads & Buildings Department, to national highways.