Defence officials causing delay in State projects: K T Rama Rao

HYDERABAD: Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MAUD) K T Rama Rao expressed his concern at the “unilateral” decisions being taken by Defence authorities in closing certain roads leading to residential colonies, causing untold hardships to the residents in the Secunderabad Cantonment area.Even the State government’s Strategic Development Programme (SRDP) and long expressways were failing to take off due to inordinate delay in handing over the required land by Defence authorities for road widening, the minister said.

Answering to a question raised by A Gandhi, M Krishna Rao and KP Vivekanand belonging to the TRS in the State Assembly on Saturday, KTR explained that important skyways, expressways are planned under SRDP with a view to ease traffic congestion at junctions like Paradise-Suchitra Crossroads and at Jubilee Bus Station to Shameerpet. These stretches pass through Defence land and obtaining the required land has become difficult as they come under the purview of the Defence Ministry.

Though the State government was prepared to provide 600 acres of land near Shameerpet in lieu of the 100 acres of land required for various road developmental activities, the Defence Ministry was not coming forward to accept the same, the minister said. This is mainly because the Defence Ministry is insisting that the State government should bear the recurring amount of `30 crore annually, besides the cost of the land on offer. This is unjustified and unacceptable, KTR said.