Hyderabad RRR North works face delay
HYDERABAD: Works on the Regional Ring Road (RRR) North, considered key to Telangana’s regional development, are set for further delay after the Centre moved the project from the Bharatmala programme to the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan.
Union road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari recently clarified that the RRR works would now be taken up under the new framework. However, the Centre is yet to clear funds for the project.
The estimated cost has risen to ₹15,627 crore after the state proposed expanding the corridor from four lanes to six. The Union Cabinet is yet to approve the revised cost.
Tender process stalled without central clearance
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) invited tenders on November 29, 2024, dividing the 161.5 km greenfield regional expressway into five packages. The stretch runs from Girmapur village in Sangareddy district to Rayagiri in Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district.
With no approval from the Centre, officials have been extending the tender deadline without opening bids. The financial year 2025–26 ends on March 31, 2026. Officials indicated that funds and execution may now begin only in the next financial year.
The project aims to integrate multi-modal connectivity nationwide, linking roads, railways, ports, airports and waterways. As part of PM Gati Shakti, it involves 44 Union ministries, all states and Union territories.
Six-lane proposal doubles project cost
Initially, the RRR North was planned as a four-lane expressway at an estimated ₹7,104.06 crore, with tenders first floated in December 2024. The state government under A Revanth Reddy later decided to widen it to six lanes, citing rising traffic in Hyderabad.
Engineers prepared revised proposals, pushing the cost to ₹15,627 crore. Tenders were reissued on November 29, 2024, with January 15 set as the deadline, which has since been extended again.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the project on October 13, 2021, to reduce logistics costs.
Project cleared in 2017 under Bharatmala
The Centre had approved the RRR project in 2017 under Bharatmala Phase I at an estimated ₹36,000 crore to promote balanced regional development around Hyderabad. The 343.5 km corridor was split into 161.5 km North and 182 km South sections.
Though approvals were in place, the project did not move forward during the tenure of former chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao, officials said.
The detailed project report initially proposed completing the North section first as a four-lane expressway.
