Delay leads to cost escalation by Rs 6,000 crore
Efforts are being made to complete land acquisition by September and invite Modi for the ground breaking ceremony. (DC File Image)
HYDERABAD: The works on the long-pending Hyderabad Regional Ring Road (RRR) project are all set to begin in October, official sources said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation for the project, they said.
The project cost has been escalated by Rs 6,000 crore due to the delay in execution of the project. The BRS government had failed to acquire lands for the project despite repeated reminders from the Centre in the last five years. The BRS government proposed the project in 2018 and the Centre gave its approval the same year apart from agreeing to bear 50 per cent of the land acquisition costs.
The Centre approved execution of the RRR project in two components: northern and southern. It was decided that the northern part will be taken up first. The 158-km northern part will connect Sangareddy, Narsapur, Toopran, Gajwel, Pragnapur, Jagdevpur, Bhongir and Choutuppal.
The second phase would include the 182-km southern section that passes through Choutuppal, Ibrahimpatnam, Kandukur, Amangal, Chevella, Shankarpally and Sangareddy.
The Centre had estimated in December 2021 that Rs 9,164 crore would be required to complete the northern part of the project, including land acquisition costs. However, with the delay in execution of works, the project cost has escalated to `15,000 crore due to rise in land prices besides increase in prices of steel and cement, and expenditure for shifting utilities obstructing the construction works.
However, after Congress came to power in December 2023, Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy laid special focus on expediting RRR works. He held a review meeting with senior officials in January and directed them to expedite land acquisition. However, due to the election code from March 16 to June 6, the process came to a halt.
Out of 1,935 hectares that needed to be acquired, the BRS government could initiate the process to acquire only 1,459 acres, which is still under different stages of acquisition.
With the conclusion of Lok Sabha elections, minister for roads and buildings Komatireddy Venkat Reddy expedited the process of land acquisition and related works pertaining to the RRR project.
Efforts are being made to complete land acquisition by September and invite Modi for the ground breaking ceremony in October marking the formal launch of RRR works.
( Source : Deccan Chronicle )
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