HYDERABAD: The cash-strapped Hyderabad Metropolitan Urban Development Authority (HMDA) has decided to pare down its ambitious radial roads project and take up only six instead of the proposed 33 roads.

While three road works - Tippu Khan bridge to APPA, Nanakramguda to Tippu Khan bridge via APPA - have already started, work on another three roads would begin soon.

The six radial roads were taken up as Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) agreed to provide Rs 350 crore loan of the required Rs 480 crore. The state government had put December 2010 as deadline for developing the 33 radial roads.

Radial roads were proposed mainly to connect various parts of the city to the Outer Ring Road (ORR). These roads were identified based on traffic studies to increase connectivity to ORR from Inner Ring Road in the city.

Now, the urban development authority has confined it to only Nanakramguda to Tippu Khan bridge via APPA, Tippu Khan bridge to Narsingi, which is known as Gandipet road, Sagar road, Srisailam road which is a state highway, Tellapur road, Vikarabad road which connects up to Dundigal.

The Roads and Buildings (R&B) department has taken up these works which would be widened to 100 feet to 150 feet depending upon the requirement.

"For taking up the entire work, the HMDA requires Rs 2,500 crore. Of the total amount, Rs 750 crore are needed for acquisition of land for road widening. Since the HMDA is in a financial crisis and striving hard to mobilise funds for the PVNR Expressway, the remaining 27 radial roads have put on hold," a senior HMDA official said.

The 33 radial roads were divided into several categories depending upon the traffic flow. The roads were planned to be widened to four lane, six lane and eight lane. The road development plans included widening, construction of footpaths, central median with lighting and beautification works.

While the Huda would bear 30 per cent of the cost, the transport and R&B departments would chip in with 25 per cent cost. The municipal administration and urban development department would bear 10 per cent of the cost. The state government has requested the Centre to release the rest, 35 per cent, of the cost under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) for these three roads. Detailed project report for three radial roads was sent to the Centre for funds. But the Centre rejected the proposal as these roads under JNNURM were not in their priority work list.

Outer Ring Road chief general manager G Jagannatha Rao admitted that only six roads were being taken up as JICA has agreed to give loan for roads which were top priority. "All the radial roads will be completed by the time the entire ORR is ready in 2012," the chief general manager said.