Rural road infra gets big push in 2026-27 budget

Hyderabad: The state govt's big plans for road infrastructure in rural areas includes development of 7,450 km of roads in 96 assembly constituencies in the first phase. This will include construction and development of 2,980 km of roads in the 2026-27 financial year with 1,372 crore as govt share.In his budget speech, deputy chief minister Bhatti Vikramarka said proposals have been prepared to construct, develop and maintain selected roads under the Panchayat Raj Engineering Department through hybrid annuity model (HAM).Under this method, 40% cost will be borne by the state govt, while the remaining will be invested by the concessionaire. This 60% will be repaid by the state govt over 15 years in 30 annuities. The responsibility of maintaining these roads will also rest with the investor, Bhatti said."In this financial year, it is proposed to construct 2,980km of roads. For cash payments in the current financial year, 1,372 crore will be required. In this budget, we propose 33,688 crore for panchayat raj and rural development department," he said.