The new bridge coming up in Eturunagaram mandal connecting Warangal and Khammam districts - a boon to the district.

Gollapudi Srinivasa Rao

ETURUNAGARAM (WARANGAL DT.): In what could be described as a feather in the cap of road network of the country and a boon to Telangana state, a 1.8 kilometre is coming up on the river Godavari in this agency mandal.

Once complete, it is expected to open up the hitherto remote and unconnected tribal hamlets all across the district and beyond into Khammam district and neighbouring Chattisgarh state.

The bridge which is expected to be complete in four months connects Mullakatta in Eturunagaram mandal in Warangal district and Poosuru in Khammam district and then the Chattisgarh. It is said the bridge would reduce the distance between Hyderabad to Kolkata by 300 kilometres.

Speaking to The Hindu, district collector Vakati Karuna said it would result in enormous development of Warangal district in the days to come. It would facilitate more vehicular movement via the district on national road network.

The bridge was contemplated long ago to bring in development to agency mandals and to contain naxal problem in Telangana and Chattisgarh districts. The then collector K Prabhakar Reddy proposed the bridge at Tupakulagudem where the river Godavari was very narrow and construction of bridge could be completed in record time. However, during chief ministership of Y S Rajasekhar Reddy the plan was altered and proposed at the present site. The construct began in February 2012 and was expected to be complete by February 2015.

“With bridge at Tupukulagudem, the Warangal district would get 50 km NH 202 which meant most as it connects large number of tribal habitations,” Mr Prabhakar Reddy told The Hindu.

Collector Ms Karuna said it was almost complete and would soon be opened for vehicular movement.

The bridge has 41 piers and is coming up at a height of 17.5 metre to withstand flooding. The bridge could be reached from Akulavari Ghanpuram village which is near Eturunagaram bustand after travelling 17 kilometres.

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