HYDERABAD: The road accident that claimed 19 lives on Monday morning in Chevella mandal has once again highlighted the cost of delayed highway expansion in Telangana.
The collision occurred on the Hyderabad–Bijapur highway, where four-lane works were set to begin after being stalled for eight years. The crash came just three days after the National Green Tribunal (NGT) cleared the long-pending APPA Junction–Manneguda four-lane project, which covers Rajendranagar, Chevella, and Parigi constituencies. Following the order, officials were instructed to begin work on the Moinabad–Chevella stretch where the accident took place.
The project had been held up for years by a petition from environmental activists seeking to protect roadside trees. During this period, over 300 people have reportedly died in accidents along the narrow, congested road. Parigi MLA Ram Mohan Reddy had cited these figures last week while welcoming the NGT’s clearance.
Residents and commuters said Monday’s tragedy, caused by an overloaded lorry losing control and veering into a passenger bus, underlined the hazards of travelling on a single-lane highway with no divider. “The road has become a death trap. Everyone knew it, but nothing moved for years,” said a local resident.
The NGT’s southern bench, led by Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana, approved a revised National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) proposal that preserves most of the roadside trees. Of the 950 trees along the route, only 150 will be translocated instead of being cut down. With this assurance, the petitioners withdrew their case, allowing the tribunal to lift the stay and direct the immediate start of work.
Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy subsequently instructed officials to fast-track construction. However, Monday’s crash has reignited debate over the years of delay and the human toll it took. Locals said that had the widening works been completed earlier, many of these deaths, including those in Monday’s accident, might have been prevented.