Hyderabad: The Telangana government has announced a major plan to improve rural roads across the state. They plan to develop all 17,300 kilometers of roads under the Panchayat Raj Department using a Public Private Partnership (PPP) model.
Officials said the goal is to cover all constituencies in the state over the next four years. Each year, they will develop around 4,000 to 5,000 kilometers of roads. Currently, the Panchayat Raj Department oversees a total road network of 68,539.27 kilometers. Out of this, 26,146.83 kilometers are BT (Bitumen) roads, 7,752.10 kilometers are WBM (Water Bound Macadam) roads, 4,146.63 kilometers are CC (Cement Concrete) roads, and the remaining 30,493.72 kilometers are dirt roads.
The existing Panchayat Raj roads were built to handle vehicles with a capacity of only 10 metric tons. However, there has been an increase in heavy vehicles with capacities of 25 to 30 metric tons. This has caused the roads to be damaged more quickly. Additionally, the government has not been able to allocate enough funds for the maintenance and repair of these roads over the years. Heavy rains, especially between July and September this year, have also worsened the situation, damaging many rural roads.
After assessing the damage from recent floods and receiving reports from various districts, the government has decided to prioritize the development of 17,300 kilometers of roads. They will begin by laying BT roads from each Gram Panchayat to the Mandal Centre. They will also focus on improving road connections to villages that currently have only dirt or metal roads. The capacity of these roads will be upgraded to handle up to 30 metric tons.
To achieve this, the Panchayat Raj Department has prepared a plan with a budget of ₹12,000 crore. The development will be phased over four years, starting with 5,000 kilometers in 2024-25, followed by 4,000 kilometers in 2025-26, 5,000 kilometers in 2026-27, and 3,300 kilometers in 2027-28.
The government also plans to use the PPP model for these road projects, meaning private companies will help build the roads and then maintain them for the next ten years.
