Naidu Seeks Cheaper Transit, EV Buses and Better Highways

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu held a transport review and urged that public transport be affordable and efficient, pressing for wider adoption of electric buses. He noted that clean energy measures had reduced electricity procurement costs by about Rs one per unit and called for further fuel cost optimisation. He said operational cost of electric buses was around Rs72 per km and instructed officials to expand charging infrastructure, standardise battery systems and plan a gradual shift to air conditioned electric buses while promoting e-cycles.

Naidu directed acceleration of construction and maintenance of national and state highways to boost economic activity and to link the state with other regions. He highlighted that out of 45,433 km of roads about 10,238 km required annual upkeep and ordered immediate pothole repairs while urging adoption of national and international best practices. He insisted on ensuring adequate funding for Roads and Buildings works.

Considering geographic challenges such as black cotton soil in the Godavari districts he recommended hybrid road construction methods including bituminous treatment and white topping and asked officials to explore innovative materials for canal side roads with academic institutions. With the Godavari Pushkarams approaching he directed prioritised repairs in Godavari, Krishna and Guntur districts. In the Godavari region 531 km of roads will be developed at a cost of Rs4,000 mn and officials were asked to seek special central funds on lines similar to the Kumbh Mela.

He stressed the need to connect major ports including Visakhapatnam, Gangavaram, Kakinada, Machilipatnam, Ramayapatnam, Krishnapatnam and Mulapeta with highway networks and called for East–West corridors to reduce logistics costs, noting that nearly 73 per cent of cargo is transported by road. He mentioned ring roads and projects such as the Kharagpur–Amaravati Greenfield Highway, the Hyderabad–Srisailam–Dornala Highway and the Kalwakurthy–Nandyal Highway, with about 1,335 km of national highways expected to be completed within two years and projects worth Rs245,020 mn targeted for completion this year. Ministers and senior officials attended the review.

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