Agency's NH works going on at snail's pace

Rampachodavaram (ASR District): The national highway project that will provide access to the tribal areas of East Godavari, Vizianagaram and Visakha districts along with

Alluri Sitarama Raju district, is progressing at a snail's pace. Although land acquisition and environmental issues are being blamed for this delay, there are allegations that negligence and lack of supervision by the authorities is also one of the reasons.

The national highway being constructed from Rajamahendravaram to Vizianagaram via Alluri Sitarama Raju district will mainly pass through tribal areas.

That is why, locals are calling this 370-km-long national highway, titled as 516-E, as Agency National Highway. The total cost of this project is Rs 4,000 crore.

The Central government permitted this project in 2017. Even though five years passed since the project was announced and given permission, still there is not enough progress in the construction of this national highway. It has been directed to build this national highway in three phases and in six packages. A sum of Rs 1,670 crore was released as the first instalment for this project. With this fund, 209 km of road construction work was started under various packages.

It was planned 44 km stretch from Rajamahendravaram to Rampachodavaram In the first package; 74 km stretch from Rampachodavaram to Koyyuru in second phase; and 133 km stretch from Koyyuru to Paderu (via Chaparathipalem and Lambasingi) in third package. 49 km from Paderu to Bhalluguda (Araku mandal) in fourth package and 43 km from Bhalluguda to Boudara will be constructed in fifth package. The entire project would be completed with the construction of 27 km from Boudara to Vizianagaram under sixth package.

The national highway construction works were getting disrupted due to lack of forest department permits in many mandals. Forest department permission is a must for constructing road through forest areas and excavation. Also, removal of trees obstructing road construction can be done only with Forest department approval.

The saplings planted by forest department less than six years ago along the 8 km road from Chintapalli to Rintada now grown into trees. Road widening is possible only if these trees are removed, but there is not only opposition to the removal of hundreds of trees, but also fear of legal difficulties.

The present situation became a dilemma for the forest department officials, who were confused as whether they give permission or deny, both are wrong. Hence getting Forest department permission for road construction in protected forest area has become a major hurdle for the officials supervising the road construction works.

As part of the ongoing second package works (Rampachodavaram to Koyyuru), a road is being constructed from GK Veedhi mandal to Lambasingi via Chinthapalli. Since permission to remove trees was not yet received, the road is being paved and repaired in the suburbs of villages.

Srinivasa Rao, a teacher from Chinthapalli, suggested that instead of cutting trees in the name of road expansion, they should be relocated and planted elsewhere.

Devaraju, a native of Lambasingi, noted that once the national highway construction by this agency is completed, transport facilities to Paderu, Lambasingi, Chinthapalli, GK Veedhi and other areas will be improved and developed.

The officials concerned informed that ASR District Collector Sumeet Kumar will soon conduct a review over the delay in environmental clearances for this road project and can find a clear solution for the problem.