Nagpur-Warangal highway will be completed by December 2027: Komatireddy

The Nagpur–Mancherial–Warangal–Khammam–Vijayawada Greenfield Highway is expected to be completed by December 31, 2027, Roads and Buildings Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy informed the Telangana Legislative Council on Saturday.

Replying to questions raised by MLCs Pochampally Srinivas Reddy and professor Kodandaram, the Minister said the State government would take steps to ensure an exit on the highway close to Parkal, for the convenience of local residents.

He said instructions would be issued to National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) officials in this regard immediately. Mr. Venkat Reddy said the 310-km highway was a crucial connectivity project, with nearly 280 km falling within Telangana.

It would connect several districts and provide an important link for people travelling from Telangana towards Nagpur and Vijayawada. He said the Mancherial–Warangal section had been divided into packages and tenders awarded.

The Letters of Award were issued on March 31, 2023, followed by agreements on May 23. The project was initially scheduled for completion within 730 days, but land acquisition issues, court cases and other factors delayed the works.

“Almost all land acquisition issues have been resolved. Only minor issues involving small stretches of land remain and these too will be settled shortly,” he said. In view of the delay, the contractor had been granted an extension of time and the revised target for completion was fixed as December 31, 2027, the Minister said.

Referring to Prof. Kodandaram’s concerns over land acquisition, Mr. Venkat Reddy said compensation would be paid in accordance with market rates. He said land handover was pending only at one or two locations, involving stretches of about 1 to 1.30 km at one place and 5.7 km in another package.

The State government would coordinate with NHAI to resolve these issues at the earliest. The Minister said the State government was responsible for land acquisition, while the construction work was being executed entirely under the NHAI.

He also referred to a review of the project by Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on May 26.