Roads and Buildings Minister Sidda Raghava Rao on Friday said tenders for the Vijayawada-Machilipatnam National Highway under the engineering procurement contract mode would be invited soon.
Replying to a question by Gadde Rammohan in the Assembly, he said the road was taken up under BOT mode by the Centre under NHDP Phase-III and 92 per cent of the land acquisition was completed.
But, owing to some problems the contract was cancelled and it would be executed by Centre as EPC project once the EPC documents were approved by the March-end, he said. Mr. Rammohan said as the Benz Circle flyover was also linked to the above highway, its construction was getting unduly delayed and he said the two projects should be de-linked.
Congress member Gollapalli Suryarao and Srinivas (YSRC) raised the travails of thousands of workers from the State going to Gulf and Middle East countries. NRI Affairs Minister Palle Raghunatha Reddy said the government had started a helpline and entrusted an officer to liaison with High Commissions in those countries and help people from the State.