The state government is persistently lobbying with the Union government to construct a greenfield express highway connecting Bandar port in Machilipatnam (Andhra Pradesh) to the dry port near Hyderabad.
Sources said the state government has prepared a proposal for this expressway, estimated to cost `17,000 crore. It has already submitted these proposals to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).
Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy recently met NHAI officials to assure them of the state government’s full support in executing this project.
Needs AP’s cooperation
As this is an interstate project, NHAI will need to consult with the Andhra Pradesh government on technical issues like land acquisition. Officials suggest that the Union government should convene a meeting with officials from both states to address this matter.
They emphasised the project’s critical role in boosting exports and freight movement from Telangana.
“The state, a significant contributor to India’s industrial landscape, produces 35% of the country’s pharmaceuticals and exports life sciences products worth over $7 billion annually. It’s also emerging as an electronics manufacturing hub, aiming for a $150 billion market size by 2030. Additionally, the food processing industry, constituting 10% of Telangana’s industrial output, requires reliable connectivity to maintain the freshness of perishable goods for export. Overall, the state’s industrial production demands just-in-time inventory and swift access to ports for global exports,” the officials said.