Privatisation of rural roads in Andhra in works, says CM Naidu | Latest News India

Hyderabad The Andhra Pradesh government is contemplating giving rural roads to private players for construction and maintenance on the lines of national highways to avoid extra burden on the state exchequer, chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu said on Wednesday.

The proposal was mooted by Naidu during a brief discussion in the state assembly and all the MLAs endorsed it. The opposition YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) MLAs were not present in the House as they continued to boycott the proceedings.

Naidu suggested that the private infrastructure firms would be invited to take up construction of rural roads and they would be allowed to collect the toll from the road users. “If we can convince the people on this proposal, we shall begin the exercise immediately. Otherwise, they would have to put up with roads with potholes,” he said.

The chief minister, who first came up with this idea during the discussion on the irrigation sector in the assembly Tuesday, sought the opinions of the MLAs on Wednesday and they gave the approval by raising their hands.

Naidu said a pilot project of this model would be taken up in East and West Godavari districts and based on public feedback from the pilot project, the system could be implemented statewide.

He said the toll charges would be collected only from heavy vehicles like trucks, lorries, and cars, while vehicles like autos, bikes, and tractors would be exempted. “Moreover, tolls will not be collected for travel within villages or up to mandal headquarters, but only for routes extending beyond mandal centres,” he said.

Citing the dire condition of roads in rural areas, the CM expressed concern about the hardships faced by residents and emphasized that quality roads could transform rural communities.

He reiterated that road construction is an integral part of development and promised to ensure public approval before proceeding with the new model. He also urged MLAs to engage with the public and build consensus on the outsourcing method for road maintenance.