HYDERABAD: Union minister Nitin Gadkari has agreed to commence work to widen the Hyderabad-Vijayawada National Highway 65 to six lanes soon, former TPCC president and Nalgonda MP N. Uttam Kumar Reddy said on Thursday. The busy highway currently has four lanes. Uttam Kumar Reddy met Gadkari in New Delhi and discussed the work modalities. “Due to constant followup by Bhongir MP Komatireddy Venkat Reddy and I, the Union minister held talks with the GMR Group which agreed to end litigation and start works early,” Uttam Kumar Reddy said.
Gadkari said procedures in the ministry will be completed in two weeks. The 247-km highway is not only a vital link between Hyderabad and Vijayawada but also ensures connectivity to Huzurnagar, Kodad, Suryapet and Nalgonda, Uttam Kumar Reddy said.
As per the agreement, the GMR should complete the six-lane works by April 2024, but, Gadkari stated, it had approached court for compensation due to reduction in traffic for various reasons.
Uttam recalled that as MLA he played a role in sanctioning of the highway in 2009. The former TPCC chief said the highway was sanctioned in 2007 and completed in 2012 by the then Congress state government.
