WARANGAL: IT would not be a hyperbole to call the National Highway 163 (Hyderabad-Chevella-Bijapur) a death trap. With the four-lane road works stopped in between due to the delay in fund release, the highway is now just a series of dangerous stretches riddled with fatal potholes. More often than not, the commuters are left struggling to identify even the diversions along the road, as the officials had not taken the initiative to erect signboards that warn drivers at the deep curves.
With the recent rains battering the roads further, a ride through the road is a harrowing, backbreaking, and sometimes fatal experience for commuters. The NH-163 is an important stretch, primarily because it leads to three prominent cities — Warangal, Hanamkonda, and Kazipet.
It is therefore understandable that there would be a huge volume of traffic on the road during any given time of the day. Taking this into cognisance, the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) had taken up the works of converting 99 kilometres under the NH-163 to a four-lane highway, at an estimated cost of Rs 1,905 crore. The foundation stone for the works was laid in 2016.
However, though sources state that the deadline was over the long back, the authorities are yet to complete the works. When contacted, NHAI project director (Warangal-Hyderabad Highway) K Srinivasulu said: “The four-laning is 80 per cent completed and remaining are under progress. The main reason for the delay is that with new financial year, proceedings for the release of funds were delayed.”
He added that a few people who lost their property due to the road-widening had approached the court. Meanwhile, P Srikanth, who lost his property in Station Ghanpur town due to road-widening, told Express that NHAI authorities had demolished numerous shops for expansion of the highway.