After a Decade of Delays, Hyderabad–Bijapur Highway Expansion Finally Begins, following 19 Killed in Chevella Tragedy
The long-pending road-widening project officially began on Wednesday, bringing some relief to commuters who had been demanding action for over a decade.
Hyderabad: The long-neglected 46-kilometre stretch of the Hyderabad–Bijapur National Highway, running from the Telangana Police Academy to Manneguda, has finally come under the spotlight after years of delay and a series of fatal accidents. The long-pending road-widening project officially began on Wednesday, bringing some relief to commuters who had been demanding action for over a decade.
The urgency to start the project intensified after a tragic accident in Mirzaguda on Monday, where 19 people were killed and 34 others injured when an RTC bus collided with a gravel-laden tipper. Locals blamed the narrow, poorly maintained road for the tragedy, often referring to the stretch as a “death corridor” due to frequent accidents.
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Responding to public outrage, authorities have now launched large-scale construction work. Around 20 heavy machines have been deployed to begin widening the road from the Telangana Police Academy through Moinabad, Chevella, and up to Manneguda. Workers have started clearing thorny vegetation and levelling the ground on both sides, with the road already appearing visibly broader in certain sections.
A Decade of Delays and Legal Hurdles
Although the Central government approved the four-lane expansion project nearly ten years ago, progress has been painfully slow. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) sanctioned ₹956 crore for the project, while Megha Engineering & Infrastructure Ltd. (MEIL) won the tender for ₹786 crore.
Land acquisition for the project was mostly completed, but work came to a halt when environmental activists approached the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to protest against the large-scale felling of roadside trees. The stretch is lined with hundreds of ancient banyan trees, many of which are considered ecologically and culturally significant.
Following months of discussions, the government reached a compromise — agreeing to change the road alignment to preserve 765 banyan trees and relocate another 150 trees. The NGT, satisfied with the revised plan, recently lifted its stay order, allowing construction to resume.
With work now officially restarted, authorities hope to complete the long-awaited expansion, which is expected to significantly reduce travel time, improve safety, and support the growing traffic between Hyderabad and Vikarabad.
