Roads in Palamuru damaged

Mahbubnagar: The main highway passing through Mahbubnagar town has suffered extensive damaged and it is dotted with thousands of potholes across the length and breadth of the road from Jadcherla to Devarkadra. Motorists are struggling to steer their vehicles through potholes and jagged edges of the highway.

It may be recalled that the State government had persuaded the Centre to covert 55 km stretch between Jadcherla and Marika into National Highway 167 and even sanctioned Rs 100 crore for laying a 4-lane road passing through Mahbubnagar. But not even 10 per cent of the works has so far been completed though a year has elapsed since the launching of the project.

Ravinder, Deputy Executive Engineer, National Highways, said a small stretch of about 5 km road has been laid and culverts have been constructed. Bushes and trees have been cleared to facilitate to lay the road. There is delay in completing the works because of cumbersome procedure of obtaining clearance from Forest Department, he said.

Gravel road construction has been completed between Devarkadra and Marikal. Now the bitumen road construction works have been taken up. However, people of the town are not happy with the pace of work going on in the district. “The culvert works at Panchavati hotel are yet to be completed even after six months. It is posing a major bottleneck resulting in frequent traffic jams.

Though the government has provided Rs 30 crore for laying roads in the district, works for the project have not yet begun. “We have already called for tenders two times, but on both the occasion not a single contractor has come forward to take up the works. We are planning to call the tenders for one more time and will see that at least now the works are launched at the earliest,” said the National Highway authorities.