As many as 11 National Highway projects in the state have been stalled due to the lack of forest clearance from the central government.

The state government is coordinating with the Union government to secure the necessary environmental approvals. Efforts are underway by the state government, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to compile and submit all required details to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) for approval.

Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy recently discussed the issue with Union Forest and Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav during his visit to New Delhi. Following the meeting, officials identified key reasons for the delay in granting clearances, including issues related to land allocation for compensatory afforestation, regulatory violations, and mitigation measures.

The approval process is expected to move forward once all necessary details are submitted. The pending projects include road construction and lane expansion for the Armoor-Jagtial-Mancherial road, Hyderabad-Bhoopalapatnam road, Medak-Siddipet road, Medak-Yellareddy road, Siddipet-Elkathurthy road, Sironcha-Mahadevpur road, Nizamabad-Jagdalpur road, Nizamabad-Armoor road, and Hyderabad ORR (Interchange at Gowrelly)-Thorrur-Nellikuduru-Mahabubabad-Yellandu-Kothagudem road, along with the Mahabubabad-Yellandu-Kothagudem road.

A total of 145.62 hectares of forest land is proposed for diversion to facilitate the construction and upgrading of these 11 highway projects.

News source: The New Indian Express