The State government has given its nod for taking up the widening project of the National Highway No-544D that connects Anantapur with Guntur, said Roads and Buildings Principal Secretary M.T. Krishna Babu on Wednesday.
The project of expanding the highway into a four-lane one will be taken up at a cost of ₹6,000 crore, with the government’s share being 30% of the project cost in addition to making land acquisition wherever essential, the official added.
The highway project was taken up four years ago but was put on the backburner when the ₹20,000-crore Anantapur-Amaravati Expressway project was actively pursued by the Telugu Desam Party government and till recently the land acquisition process was in progress in different districts.
Mr. Krishna Babu, who was in Anantapur to hold talks with the revenue department officials regarding the land acquisition for this project, told The Hindu that a detailed project report for the project would be prepared within a month. The 417-km National Highway No-544D connects Anantpur with Guntur via Tadipatri, Kolimigundla, Owk, Banaganapalli and Nandyal (in Kurnool district), and Gajualapalli, Giddalur, Cumbum, Thokapalli (in Prakasam district), and Vinukonda, Narasaraopet in Guntur.
Currently, the stretch between Giddaluru and Vinukonda in Prakasam district has been converted into a proper four-lane road, and some small stretches, including Anantapur to Tadipatri, have a narrow four-lane road, which need to be properly laid, Mr. Krishna Babu said.
A major push is being given for recarpeting and repairing the existing Major District Roads and State Highways in Andhra Pradesh in the second phase of the project at a cost of ₹2,000, the Principal Secretary said after reviewing the progress with district officials. In Anantapur district alone, at least ₹170 crore will be spent to repair 710 km of roads, he said.