NHAI, CS discuss road safety, highways expansion

Telangana Government today asked National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to expedite the national highways development works in the State with a focus on road safety to avert the accidents besides giving special financial assistance.

NHAI president Raghava Chandra here on Thursday called on Chief Secretary Dr Rajiv Sharma at Secretariat here and asked him to send proposals on road safety, black-spots causing accidents and other places of accident prone areas on various national highways in the State. The NHAI offered top priority to road safety to bring down the accidents that are proving fatal in some cases and give 10 per cent of funds for the related projects to be done by the contractor, Raghava Chandra said.

When Rajiv Sharma sought funding for taking up plantation on the national highways, Raghava Chandra offered to give Rs 1500 for each sapling at a proportion of planting 800 saplings along a stretch of one kilometer. He also informed that there is no compromise on the road safety issue as the recently held meeting in Delhi focused on the same and decided to give powers to ROs to complete the works on a war-footing.

The State government is ready to offer all forest permissions for developing Yadagiri Gutta and Warangal highway into a four-lane highway and revised proposals for the following roads will be submitted soon to the NHAI to coordinate with state highways authorities. They are Sanga Reddy- Nanded-Akola (NH-161), Jagitial-Karim Nagar-Warangal (NH-63), Kodada-Khammam (NH 365-A).

Directing the officials to give permissions for electricity and utility shifting works Rajiv Sharma said that the government will take steps for land acquisition for road side amenities at Veliminedu, Akupamula on Hyderabad and Vijaywada national highway (NH-65) and take steps to provide land for a regional office for NHAI in the state.

Earlier, the Chief Secretary sought the NHAI authorities to provide necessary funding for road safety, to set right the block spots causing accidents on the national highways. He also offered to coordinate for the speedy disposal of the works national highways and expansion of the existing roads for better connectivity with other neighbouring states.  (NSS)