Govt to focus on
road connectivity in AP
Hyderabad|India|January'2011: The Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar
Reddy said that road connectivity forms the very basis of economic
and social development and hence the Government will find adequate
funds for road works. He agreed that proportionate budget allocation
for roads in the State was inadequate. The Chief Minister reviewed
progress and issues of R&B department with the Minister and
officials at Secretariat. The meeting felt that pressure on roads
increased manifold because of spurt in vehicle population by almost
4 times and due to continued rains and floods in the State.
The Chief Minister will also take up with the Government of India
for more funds for R&B works under various Central schemes like
Prime Minister's Grameen Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), National Highways
etc. He also mooted a separate Corporation to take up and
reconstruct various dilapidated and old R&B structures and buildings
in different parts of the State. The Chief Minister positively
responded to the proposal for more increased budget allocation. He
exhorted the officials to prepare the State road development plans
to fit into various Government of India programmes to leverage
maximum funds from the Centre.
Officials informed the Chief Minister that as for as Roads are
concerned, the total length is 70,394 Kms in the State of which
National Highways is 4,730 Kms; State Highways (Corenet Roads 7941
Kms) 10,470 Kms; Major District Roads (Corenet Roads 4107 Kms)
32,205 Kms and Rural Roads 22,989 Kms. Officials said Renewals,
Backlog & Damages of Roads with an average 5 year renewal cycle is
13,200 Km of roads to be renewed each year. Due to heavy rains and
floods/cyclone many roads damaged extensively requiring immediate
attention and permanent restorations. 20,359 Kms roads got
extensively damaged.
The Chief Minister asked the R&B Department to prepare a detailed
report on the action plan chalked out under short-term, mid-term and
long-term goals. The short-term plans are to restore all the flood
damaged stretches immediately, take up and complete State and
panchayat roads on war footing and to complete the targeted Plan
works for this year requiring additional Rs.225 crore. Action
targeted under medium-term action plan up to 2014 are to renew
13,200 km of road, to convert all unmetalled/metalled roads to
B.T.roads i.e. about 3140 kms within a period of 3 years, to convert
2,000 km of intermediate/single lane to Double Lane based on present
traffic requirement, to construct/replace 300 unbridged crossings
and give all weather connectivity, to upgrade and improve select
corridors under PPP and World Bank for 936 km and LTPMC contracts
for 6,240 kms and to complete 82 Railway safety works. Under Long
term plan up to 2020, it is contemplated to upgrade and improve
select corridors under PPP with Viability Gap Funding (VGF) of about
1524 km, to convert eligible 3,000km (balance length) of single lane
to double lane, to construct/replace 364 bridges and to complete
eligible Railway Safety works numbering 65.
The Chief Minister said the Govt. of India already identified
Khammam and Adilabad districts for Special Development Plan under
Left Wing Extremism (LWE). He said the State Government has already
taken up with the Government of India to extend this SDP programme
under LWE to six more districts of Karimnagar, Warangal, East
Godavari, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam and Srikakulam.
The Chief Minister positively responded to the proposal of the
department for adequate budget provisioning, purse with Govt. of
India for conversion of 6,571 km of State Highways into National
Highways, explore the possibility of bringing more roads under PPP
by persuading Govt. of India and Planning Commission to enhance of
viability gap ceiling, to explore possibilities of taking up of
certain select roads and bridge works with external assistance,
pursue with Govt. of India to enhance allocation under Calamity
Relief Fund, PMGSY grant to be allotted to TR&B also for developing
Rural Roads, enhance allocation of NABARD Funds, Creation of
Building Development Corporation on par with APRDC.
