Union govt approves second phase of 334-km long RRR road in Telangana

The Union government has cleared the proposal for construction of the second phase of the 334-kilometre long Regional Ring Road (RRR). The road project, costing Rs 13,000 crore, is expected to connect all the districts of Telangana to its capital city, Hyderabad.

Road works for the 31.8-kilometre Kodad-Khammam National Highway have also been approved.

The confirmation on the 182-kilometre stretch of road being approved was given by the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari to a delegation of TRS MPs led by party floor leader Nama Nageshwara Rao in New Delhi on Friday.

The state government will bear 50% of the project cost. The RRR project is being planned beyond the existing Outer Ring Road (ORR) and will improve connectivity between Sangareddy, Narsapur, Toopran, Gajwel, Jagdevpur, Bhongir, Choutuppal, Ibrahimpatnam, Chevella and Shankarapalli.

The Telangana government intends to develop 50 acres within the 30 to 40-kilometre wide strip between ORR and RRR into satellite townships. The state hopes that the RRR will help boost infrastructure investments, employment opportunities between the circular roads and will reduce congestion in Hyderabad, reported Telangana Today.

Under the first phase of the road project, the Union government had issued a gazette notification to begin work for 166 kilometres of the RRR in 2017. The stretch connects Sangareddy, Toopran and Choutuppal.

In 2019, the Union Road Transport and Highways Ministry questioned the project’s financial viability. A fresh Detailed Project Report (DPR) was called for and the state complied. Following this, the second phase of the project went into a limbo.

A fresh representation seeking notification for the 182-kilometre stretch was made by the TRS delegation on Friday. The Union Minister informed the delegation that the second phase of the RRR project connecting Choutuppal, Shadnagar and Kandi has been approved.

The Union Minister also said that approval has been granted for the expansion of the 31.8-kilometre Kodad-Khammam National Highway to four lanes under the Bharatmala Pariyojana programme. The land acquisition for the project has been completed by the state, and the project is awaiting clearance from the forest department to start the tendering process.