Highway safety programme on two demo roads

HYDERABAD: In order to reduce accidents and facilitate hassle-free journey on high ways, the state government has identified two roads as demo corridors to implement road safety programme with assistance from World Bank. After observing the process on the demo roads, officials plan to implement it across the state.The project which is expected to be completed by 2015, will cost an estimated Rs 91.39 crore, out of which World Bank would bear Rs73.10 crore and state government the remaining Rs18.28 crore. The demo roads identified for the project are the 124.30 km long Hyderabad- Bijapur (Karnataka) via Chevella Parigi and Kondagal and the second road is from Renigunta to Rayalacheruvu in Anantapur, which is 263.40 km long.The government has constituted an empowered committee with officials from Transport, Police, Technical, Medical and Roads and Buildings departments to look after permissions, review progress of works, sanction and recommendations by lower level committees.The committee would be headed by the principal secretary of transport.The government has also appointed inter-departmental working committee to look after execution of works at ground level and three more working group committees.The Andhra Pradesh Road Development Corporation will be the implementing unit of the project. APRDC superintendent engineer Phaneendra Prasad said the proposals and recommendation by the committees would be reviewed by road safety experts Dr S Nagabhushan Rao and S Pradeep appointed by the government on guidelines of World Bank on February 7. After examining proposals and estimate, tenders would be invited in one month, he added