Hyderabad: The Telangana government will soon begin construction of more than 6,000 km of roads under the Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM), Roads & Buildings Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy said on Sunday. The projects are estimated to cost ₹13,000 crore and will be developed to standards comparable with National Highways.
The Minister said construction would start shortly after the monsoon season ends. The planned road corridors are part of the State government’s effort to expand and improve major road infrastructure under the HAM framework.
Komatireddy, along with Cabinet colleague Vakiti Srihari and Devarakadra MLA Madhusudhan Reddy, laid foundation stones for HAM road works and high-level bridge projects worth about ₹200 crore in Devarakadra constituency of Mahabubnagar district. After the programme, he inspected ongoing ghat road works at Kurumurthy Temple and reviewed their progress at a meeting.
The Minister also criticised former Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao over irrigation infrastructure in the erstwhile Mahabubnagar district. He alleged that the previous government failed to complete the Palamuru-Rangareddy project, which he described as a crucial irrigation initiative for the region.
Komatireddy also spoke about Telangana’s financial position and the debt accumulated during the previous BRS government. He said the State was formed with a surplus budget of ₹16,000 crore, while the previous regime accumulated a total debt burden of ₹8.21 lakh crore.
₹560 crore released for Uddandapur land acquisition
The Minister said the current Congress government is paying nearly ₹6,000 crore every month towards interest obligations. According to him, the financial burden has affected Telangana’s eligibility for key central grants. He further said around ₹50,000 crore had been borrowed off-budget through special corporations, including those linked to Palamuru and Mission Bhagiratha.
On irrigation projects, Komatireddy said the government had deposited ₹560 crore into the District Collector’s account for land acquisition under the Uddandapur project. He said the Congress government was committed to taking forward irrigation works in the region.
The Minister also said the government would take full responsibility for filling the Karivena reservoir and completing the overall Palamuru-Rangareddy project.