No tolls on proposed HAM roads in Telangana

HYDERABAD - Roads and Buildings Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy criticized the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government for neglecting the state’s road infrastructure. He stated that there will be no tolls on the new Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM) roads being proposed. During a Budget discussion in the Assembly, Reddy explained that 40% of the funds for the HAM roads would come from the state government, while the rest would be obtained through loans. He compared the Congress government's funding of ₹4,000 crore for roads in one year to the BRS government's expenditure of ₹8,112 crore over ten years for 6,668 km of road construction. Reddy quoted former US President John F. Kennedy, emphasizing the importance of roads in building wealth. He accused the BRS government of failing to secure funds from the Central Road Infrastructure Fund, while Congress had successfully obtained ₹850 crore. He also noted that Congress prioritized road projects, having completed 15 bridges and 2,000 km of roads within 15 months without taking loans. The Minister stated that the government has not planned any Public-Private Partnership (PPP) projects and is focusing on HAM, which is already used in eight states. He criticized the BRS for delays in important projects, specifically mentioning the unfinished Uppal Elevated Corridor, which was initiated in 2017. Reddy assured that Congress allocated ₹1,525 crore for the Regional Ring Road and would complete the Uppal project in 18 months. Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar addressed the poor road conditions in Vikarabad, urging for immediate improvements. In response to claims by former minister T. Harish Rao about Congress's fundraising efforts, Reddy countered by stating that the Outer Ring Road developed during Congress rule was sold for ₹7,300 crore before the 2023 elections. The debate heated up when former R&B minister V. Prashanth Reddy claimed BRS had developed more roads than Congress. Reddy responded by accusing him of neglecting road development in favor of other projects.