Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu will be launching the `Mission Pathole Free AP’ program to repair all the potholes across the state on Saturday in Gajapathinagaram constituency of Vizianagaram district. Roads and Buildings Minister BC Janardhan Reddy said they will complete repair of all potholes in the state by Sankranti.
The Minister said that Rs. 350 crore has been sanctioned for the repairs and reconstruction of roads. He said that another Rs. 220 crore has also come from the State Disaster Fund. He also said that the pending bills given to contractors in the past have also been paid.
The minister said that the repairs of roads in the state will be carried out in mission mode across the state. He said that the state government has already sanctioned Rs. 290 crore for the construction of roads in the state. He explained that road repairs are starting in all districts and constituencies from Saturday.
The minister said that steps have been taken without any laxity in the matter of road repairs. He said that after the road repairs are completed, the concerned authorities will inspect them and issue certificates of pothole-free roads.
He has ordered the authorities to continue to monitor them continuously. He deplored that in the last five years, people have been facing difficulties on the roads with potholes in the state. The minister clarified that the government has also paid special attention to the construction of roads keeping in mind the future of the state.
He said that an agreement has been signed to work in partnership with Tirupati IIT, SRM University and other institutions to adopt advanced methods in the construction of roads as well as repairs. He revealed that opportunities are being explored to introduce the Road Asset Management System along with the PPP method for the construction of roads.
On the other hand, he said that national highway projects are also under construction rapidly in the state. He said that 3,300 km of highway works are under construction in relation to 129 national highway projects. The minister clarified that a total of Rs. 76,000 crores of National Highway works are being done in the state. He said that in addition to these, another Rs. 30,000 crores of projects are likely to come up.