Telangana takes up road projects worth Rs 1,500 cr during lockdown

The work on road projects worth Rs 1,500 crore is going on in Telangana on a priority basis during the lockdown period, says Arvind Kumar, Principal Secretary, Municipal Administration and Urban Development.

"During this lockdown period, the State government has decided to take up the road related works on a priority basis as there will be no traffic on roads so that we can complete them at the earliest. As a result, road works worth Rs 1,500 crore are going on right now," Kumar told .

He said the administration has divided the road works in three categories -- comprehensive road maintenance, strategic road maintenance, and missing link road and these have been put under the supervision of three Chief Engineers.

"We are also carrying out works, which include the laying of new roads and CC roads. We also want to complete the foundation of all the flyovers during this lockdown period. Apart from this, flyover and foot over bridge works are also being done," he said.

He said that there are many roads of capital nature and which during normal times have heavy traffic.

"It is very difficult to carry out those works during normal times as we get on an average only 3 to 4 hours every day to carry out those works. Now, during the lockdown we are getting about 12 hours," he said.

He further said that the works which are being carried out required minimal labour, to whom "we have provided all safety protocols. Contractors have been made to strictly follow the protocols, which include wearing masks, social distancing, and medical check-ups."

The lockdown, which was originally scheduled to continue till April 14, has been extended to May 3 keeping the rising number of COVID-19 cases in mind.

( With inputs from ANI )

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