After 8 yrs of effort of BRS Govt, Centre permits elevated corridors after Congress comes to power

HYDERABAD: The Ministry of Defence, at last, accorded approval to the proposal for the construction of elevated corridor on Hyderabad-Nagpur National Highway and Hyderabad-Karimnagar Rajiv Rahadari. The Defence Ministry cleared for the construction of elevated corridors across defence lands in Secunderabad Cantonment area.

The erstwhile BRS Government had proposed eight years ago these elevated corridors on the two routes for a hassle-free travel to North Telangana districts. Despite serious efforts by the KCR Government, the Centre sat over the files. Whenever KCR raised these issues, the Centre dodged and ducked.

In fact, then Minister for Municipal Administration K T Rama Rao (KTR) appealed to the Centre a few times by making visits to Delhi. The Centre had never indicated that the matter was under serious consideration, but within three months of the Congress Government coming to power in Telangana, the Defence Ministry had shown three gestures – 1. The Radar Centre of Navy in Vikarabad; 2. Defence lands for skywalk in Mehdipatnam; and now the clearance for elevated corridors.

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Just on the eve of Assembly elections, the Cantonment Board, on August 12, 2023, accorded approval to hand over 33 acres of land for the elevated corridor project; while the decision regarding another 124 acres was still pending.

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The Telangana Government on Friday (March 1, 204) in a statement said that Chief Minister Revanth Reddy had met Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in Delhi on January 5 and appealed to him to permit the development of elevated corridors across defence lands. Responding to the CM’s plea, the Union Government had issued permit orders for the construction of elevated corridors on “morning (of) Friday.”

The CM thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister and the officials of Defence wing for permitting the construction of corridors which would help in the development of Hyderabad city.

Revanth Reddy had requested the Defence Minister to allot 83 acres of land for the construction of a six-lane elevated corridor from Paradise Junction to Outer Ring Road Junction on Rajiv Rahadari connecting Hyderabad to Karimnagar-Ramagundam and the construction of entry and exit ramps for a total 11.30-km corridor construction.

The Chief Minister also pleaded with the Defence Minister to transfer 56 acres of Defence lands for the construction of the corridors on a total length of 18.30 kilometers proposed from Paradise Junction to Kandlakoya near the Outer Ring Road on Nagpur Highway (NH-44), out of which 12.68 kilometers would be constructed as a six-lane elevated corridor, with exits and entries in four areas, and double-decker (for Metro Rail) Corridor in the future .

With the permission given by the Centre, the transport network would be developed in North Telangana districts of Nizamabad, Adilabad, Karimnagar and Ramagundam. The growing traffic problem in the Secunderabad area would also be solved. The development of elevated corridors from Hyderabad to Shamirpet and Hyderabad to Kandlakoya would promote the fast-paced development of the North side of the Hyderabad city.

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All the hurdles for the expansion of the national highways had been removed with the sanction of the Defence lands .

The Chief Minister expressed happiness that the issue pending for the last eight years had been resolved. The CM said that the new government had succeeded in getting approvals in just 80 days, claiming credit.

The CM recalled that during his every visit to New Delhi he had submitted memoranda to the Union ministers requesting them to address the state issues.

Revanth Reddy said that the interests of the Telangana state were his “top agenda regardless of political disputes and party ideologies. As per the instructions of the Defence ministry, the state will start the construction of the elevated corridors soon.”