HYDERABAD: Minister of State for Home Affairs G Kishan Reddy on Thursday said that during Narendra Modi's tenure as the Prime Minister thus far, the length of National Highways in the State have increased by 55.47 per cent.
Kishan said that Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari would virtually inaugurate six newly-laid National Highways in Telangana on December 21. Gadkari would also lay the foundation stones for various National Highways to be constructed here at an estimated cost of Rs 9,440 crores, he added.
Addressing the media in New Delhi, Kishan said, "The State government is not cooperating with the Centre, despite the latter writing to the Chief Secretary and Secretary to Roads and Buildings Department over land acquisition for the proposed National Highway projects."
He added that he would write a letter to Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao asking his government to acquire lands for the same immediately. He also demanded the State government release its share for the MMTS expansion.
Stating that the Centre has constructed 1,399 km of National Highways in the State under Bharatmala phase II, Kishan said that the Hyderabad-Vijayawada and Hyderabad-Bangalore NHs would be converted into express highways.
"Before Narendra Modi came to power, there were only 2,511 km of National Highways in Telangana. It has now been increased to 3,910 km. The Central government has a policy to sanction new projects after the completion of existing projects," he stated, adding that the State government must act swiftly.