CM Revanth Reddy Meets Gadkari, Seeks RRR and Highway Approvals
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy met Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari at the minister's residence in New Delhi on Tuesday, 14 July 2026, pressing for central approvals on a clutch of highway projects critical to Telangana and its connectivity with Andhra Pradesh.
Context
The Chief Minister's Office of Telangana announced that CM Revanth Reddy urged Gadkari to secure Union Cabinet approval for commencing construction on the northern segment of the Regional Ring Road (RRR) around Hyderabad, noting that 95 per cent of land acquisition for that stretch has already been completed. He argued that launching work simultaneously on both the northern and southern segments of the RRR would accelerate overall project completion and reduce construction costs.
CM Revanth Reddy also requested that clearances for the RRR southern segment be granted without further delay, framing the dual-track approach as the most efficient path to decongesting Hyderabad's arterial traffic.
Policy Backdrop
The AP Reorganisation Act, 2014, which bifurcated Andhra Pradesh and created Telangana, explicitly mandated central support for a greenfield highway linking Hyderabad to the new Andhra Pradesh capital. CM Revanth Reddy invoked this statutory commitment during the meeting, urging Gadkari to expedite approvals for the greenfield highway from Hyderabad to Amaravati.
He further proposed a 12-lane highway from Bharat Future City through Amaravati to Bandar Port (Machilipatnam), asserting it would cut the Hyderabad–Vijayawada distance by 100 kilometres and significantly speed up freight movement to the coast. The Bharatmala Pariyojana, launched in 2015, had already prioritised greenfield expressways and ring roads in southern India, providing a policy framework for these proposals.
Stakeholders and Impact
CM Revanth Reddy also sought Gadkari's intervention to obtain forest department clearances for the proposed Mannanur–Srisailam Elevated Corridor, reminding him that the alignment passes through the Nallamala Wildlife Sanctuary, the Srisailam temple, and the Srisailam reservoir — all of which require environment and forest ministry approvals before construction can begin.
A sixth request concerned an alternative six-lane highway from Mancherial to Hyderabad, to be developed as a replacement for the existing Rajiv Road corridor. CM Revanth Reddy assured Gadkari that the state government would undertake land acquisition for this alternative route, and described it as a corridor that would generate fresh agricultural and commercial opportunities along its alignment.
Nalgonda MP Raghuveer and senior officials from the state accompanied the Chief Minister during the meeting, signalling cross-party coordination on infrastructure demands at the central level.
What's Next
The immediate test will be whether the Union Cabinet clears the RRR northern segment for construction, unlocking the sequencing that the Telangana government believes will bring both segments to completion faster. Forest clearances for the Mannanur–Srisailam Elevated Corridor from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change will be equally consequential, given the ecological sensitivity of the Nallamala zone.
Approvals for the Hyderabad–Amaravati–Bandar greenfield link would mark a significant step in fulfilling a decade-old statutory promise from the AP Reorganisation Act, and could reshape freight logistics between the two Telugu states for years to come.