Hyderabad, Oct 17 : The Telangana government has issued tenders for the construction of rural roads at a cost of Rs 6,294 crore under the Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM).

The Panchayat Raj Engineering Department on Friday issued tenders for the construction of 2,162 roads.

The construction companies have been invited to submit proposals for the construction of these roads in 30 months and thereafter maintain them for a period of 15 years.

The works are proposed to be taken up in 17 packages covering 2,162 roads spanning 7,449.50 km across 96 constituencies.

Under the HAM model, 40 per cent of the project cost will be paid by the government during construction, while 60 per cent will be mobilised by contractors from banks. The contractors will also be responsible for maintaining the roads for 15 years after a 30-month construction period.

Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Minister Danasari Anasuya Seethakka said that the HAM project will significantly develop village roads and boost the rural economy. This flagship programme aims to transform rural roads and improve transportation infrastructure.

The state government has taken up the ambitious project that involves the construction, upgradation, and maintenance of roads connecting Gram Panchayats (GPs) to mandal headquarters, mandal headquarters to district headquarters, and district headquarters to State headquarters.

As part of the project, the State Cabinet on Thursday approved the proposal of the Roads and Buildings Department to issue tenders for the construction of roads of a total length of 5,566 km at a cost of Rs 10,547 crore under HAM.

Roads and Buildings Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy said that the Chief Minister's visionary leadership is steering Telangana's roads towards revolutionary development. He thanked the Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and his fellow cabinet ministers for approving the construction of roads.

'We are moving forward with the resolve to construct smooth, mirror-like roads across the state in the coming 30 months and transform Telangana's roads into a role model for the entire nation,' he said.

The minister stated that the tender process for these works will commence within a week. 'We are undertaking works in a total of 32 packages. In the first phase, we are taking steps to start work on 10 packages immediately. In the coming three years, every major highway in Telangana will stand as an exemplar to the nation in terms of quality, durability, and aesthetics,' he said.

/IANS