HYDERABAD: The Union Cabinet will grant approval for the construction of the northern part of the Regional Ring Road (RRR) later this month.
Roads & Buildings Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy on Thursday said that this information was conveyed to him by the Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari.
Venkat Reddy was addressing the first meeting of the Task Force Committee, which was formed to fast-track the stalled National Highways Projects in the state, at the Secretariat.
The minister expressed hope that the works on the RRR project would start within the next few months. “The land acquisition process is nearing completion. Hopefully, we will be able to commence project works at the earliest.”
Stating that the Congress government’s priority is development and not politics, he revealed his plan to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi soon to push for speedy approvals of key infrastructure projects.
The meeting addressed critical project-specific issues in the Warangal-Khammam NH-163G, Sita Rama Lift Irrigation Greenfield Corridor and Kalwakurthy-Srisailam elevated corridor.
The minister, meanwhile, assured officials that he would intervene with relevant departments, including discussions with Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy, to push for swift approvals of pending NoCs.
Later during an informal chat with reporters, Venkat Reddy said that the government would invite tenders for construction of roads in the state under Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM) mode.
“We are contemplating completing these roads within the next three years. Under Phase 1, the government will spend Rs 6,000 crore,” he said.
The minister also said that the government will inaugurate TIMS, Sanathnagar by October. He also expressed confidence that the Centre will sanction a greenfield highway between the proposed Future City and Vijayawada.
When asked about the ongoing film workers’ strike, Venkat Reddy, who also holds the cinematography portfolio, said that he will hold a meeting with industry representatives on Friday and try to resolve the issue.