Obstacles clear on highways, railway projects, minister told officials

BC Minister of Roads and Buildings, Investment and Infrastructure Janardhan Reddy | Photo credit: File photo

BC Roads and Buildings, Investments and Infrastructure Minister Janardhan Reddy on Monday directed officials to resolve outstanding land acquisition and forest clearance issues to ensure completion of national highways and railway projects in the state by December 2026.

The minister, who chaired the fourth review meeting of the Task Force at the Amaravati Secretariat, reviewed the progress made since the third meeting of the committee held in August last year and sought updates on the project from senior officials of National Highways and Railways.

Referring to the instructions issued by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, Mr. Janardhan Reddy directed the officials to speed up the ongoing work on the National Highways, which will be carried out under the supervision of the National Highways Authority of India and the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. He urged the various departments to effectively coordinate and make optimum use of the Centre’s support for infrastructure development.

Officials informed the minister that out of 21 land acquisition issues related to national highway projects, nine have been fully resolved while 12 have been partially resolved since the previous review meeting. Of the total 602 km designated for land acquisition, 397 km have been completed so far.

In a separate review of railway projects, the minister emphasized the need for coordinated efforts to complete all ongoing railway works, including ROB and RUB, by December 2026. He directed officials to expedite land acquisition for sanctioned railway lines and conduct monthly district-level inspections with joint collectors to resolve outstanding issues.

The Minister said that cost sharing issues related to Kotipalli-Narsapuram, Nadikudi-Srikalahasti, Bhadrachalam-Kovvur and Kadapa-Bengaluru railway projects will be taken up with the Union Railway Ministry for a timely decision. Senior officials from R&B, Railways, Revenue and Forests departments attended the meeting.

Published – 18 May 2026 20:09 IST