New Delhi: Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, on Wednesday, approved projects worth Rs 573.13 crore for Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. "The Widening of the existing 2-lane road to 2 lane with Paved shoulders from the Hyderabad-Bhupalapatnam section of NH-163 in Mulugu district, Telangana has been approved at the total cost of Rs 136.22 crore", the minister said on twitter. He said the project stretch connects major tourist places namely Laknavaram lake & Bogotha Waterfalls.

The development of this stretch will improve the interstate connectivity between Telangana and Chattishgarh. The Minister said Mulugu district is a Left Wing Extremism (LWE) affected district & the development of this stretch would help the Government to have control over LWE activities.

Gadkari said rehabilitation and upgradation to 2/4 lane with paved shoulders on NH-167K including the approaches of Iconic Bridge across river Krishna in Nagarkurnool district in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh has been approved at the total cost of Rs 436.91 crore on EPC mode. He said the NH-167K would reduce the distance between Hyderabad/Kalwakurthy and important destinations like Tirupati, Nandyala/ Chennai by about 80 Km as the traffic presently following NH-44 will take to NH-167K after completion.

He said Nandyala is an important trading center for agricultural products & forest products as it is nearer to Nallamala Forest. The sanctioned Iconic Bridge at Kollapur would be the gateway for both states and helps promote tourism, he added.

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