Repair work on rural roads on war footing

Telangana government said today that the repair work on roads in rural areas which were damaged in the heavy rains recently will be taken up on a "war footing". According to an official release, state Panchayat Raj Minister Jupalli Krishna Rao has asked officials concerned to carry out repair work on 530 "breached" roads immediately. It said 1,524 roads, measuring 1,700 km in total, have suffered damages due to heavy rains that lashed Telangana, including state capital Hyderabad, mainly during the last week. It has been estimated that funds to the tune of Rs 318.58 crore and Rs 49.61 crore are required to carry out the repairs on permanent and temporary basis respectively, the release said. The minister directed immediate removal of encroachments on drainage systems in neighbouring Rangareddy district. He also asked officials to book criminal cases against the encroachers "if necessary" and also sought a report on the encroachments, unauthorised constructions and lay outs in the district, the release added.