Road projects in limbo in Naxal-affected areas

HYDERABAD: Due to lack of clearance from the Union environment and forests ministry, nearly 19 of the 29 road development projects sanctioned in the left Wing Extremist affected districts of the state have hit a road block. Union home minister P Chidambaram asked chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy on Friday to pursue the issue with the Union ministry of road transport and highways and also the environment ministry for their speedy completion.The Centre has sanctioned 29 road projects in the Left Wing Extremist affected districts of Khammam and Adilabad covering 620 km at an estimated cost of Rs 1,092 crore. However, 19 of them have been pending for quite some time. While nine project were yet to be awarded, another 10 projects were pending forest clearance. Road transport and highways ministry has already raised the issue with the public works department.  In a letter to chief minister, Chidambaram is learnt to have said early completion of the road works will go a long way towards overall development of the region as well as facilitate movement of police and paramilitary forces in the forest areas to curb Naxal menace.