Roads & Buildings, Investments and Infrastructure Minister B.C. Janardhan Reddy on Monday directed officials to resolve pending issues related to land acquisition and forest clearances to ensure completion of National Highway and railway projects in the State by December 2026.

Chairing the fourth Task Force Committee review meeting at the Secretariat in Amaravati, the Minister reviewed the progress made since the third committee meeting held in August last year and sought project-wise updates from senior officials of the National Highways and Railways.

Referring to directions issued by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, Mr. Janardhan Reddy instructed officials to expedite pending National Highway works being executed under the supervision of the National Highways Authority of India and the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. He urged various departments to coordinate effectively and make optimum use of the Centre’s support for infrastructure development.

Officials informed the Minister that, of the 21 land acquisition issues related to National Highway projects, nine had been fully resolved while 12 had been partially addressed since the previous review meeting. Of the total 602 km identified for land acquisition, acquisition for 397 km had been completed so far.

Reviewing railway projects separately, the Minister stressed the need for coordinated efforts to complete all ongoing railway works, including ROBs and RUBs, by December 2026. He directed officials to expedite land acquisition for sanctioned railway lines and conduct monthly district-level reviews with Joint Collectors to resolve pending issues.

The Minister said cost-sharing issues relating to the Kotipalli–Narsapuram, Nadikudi–Srikalahasti, Bhadrachalam–Kovvur and Kadapa–Bengaluru railway projects would be taken up with the Union Railway Ministry for an early decision. Senior officials from the R&B, Railways, Revenue and Forest departments attended the meeting.