Four-lane Bengaluru- Vijayawada road connectivity gets NHAI nod

Anantapur: The sluggish behaviour of TDP and YSRC state governments, neither of which released matching grants, has resulted in the ambitious six-lane road between Anantapur- Amaravati, being a non-starter.

The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) is now taking up a separate project to provide road connectivity from the interiors to Amaravati road. A connecting road has been proposed between Bengaluru and Amaravati via Anantapur district, albeit a four-lane one.

National Highway sources told Deccan Chronicle that NHAI was on the job of preparing the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the revised project.

The TD government had agreed to the Rs 2,000 crore six-lane road project that was to connect Anantapur and Amravati.

“But, the government neither released its matching grants to the Centre nor did it go in for land acquisition for the project. As a result, the mega project was confined to papers”, a senior engineer from the department recalled.

In a significant development, during a recent meeting with the union minister and state government representatives, NHAI gave its nod for a four-lane road. As many stretches of the proposed road already have four-lanes, land acquisition is needed in only certain towns and villages, sources said. Moreover, being a NHAI project, there is no need for the state government to provide matching grants. The proposed road will pass from the outskirts of Anantapur through Tadipatri.