{
  "id": 3441678,
  "title": "₹840-cr Buttaigudem-Kovvur highway upgradation approved for Godavari Pushkarams: Purandeswari",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/840-cr-buttaigudem-kovvur-highway-upgradation-approved-for-godavari",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-26T06:12:26.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Hindu",
    "slug": "the-hindu",
    "url": "https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/andhra-pradesh/840-cr-buttaigudem-kovvur-highway-upgradation-approved-for-godavari-pushkarams-purandeswari/article71391518.ece"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "On August 28, 2026, Rajamahendravaram MP D. Purandeswari announced that Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways Nitin Gadkari had approved the upgrade of a 45-kilometer-long two-lane road between Buttaigudem and Kovvur along the Godavari River. The revised cost of the project is ₹840 crore, with the highway stretching through LND Peta and Pattiseema as part of the National Highway 365BB upgrade.\n\nIn April 2026, Purandeswari had appealed to Gadkari to upgrade the Kovvur-Polavaram road along the Godavari to accommodate the eight crore devotees expected to attend the Godavari Pushkarams. Besides improving connectivity for the tribal pockets and the Polavaram irrigation project, the highway would also strengthen farm-to-market linkages and provide better access to important ghats along the river for devotees and visitors.\n\nGadkari shared the approval of the ₹840.41 crore project on X on August 25, stating that the upgrade to a 2-lane road with paved shoulders configuration would significantly improve connectivity to the Polavaram Irrigation Project and surrounding villages. The improved road infrastructure will facilitate faster, safer, and more efficient movement of agricultural produce, supporting local livelihoods and enabling better access to the ghats along the Godavari. Purandeswari thanked Gadkari for his approval, confident that the road would be laid before the commencement of the Godavari Pushkarams.",
  "summary": "The project will significantly improve connectivity to the Polavaram Irrigation Project and surrounding villages, says Nitin Gadkari",
  "key_points": [
    "₹840 crore approved for Buttaigudem-Kovvur highway upgrade.",
    "Union Minister Nitin Gadkari approves project on August 28, 2026.",
    "Highway upgrade to support Godavari Pushkarams and local economy."
  ],
  "editors_take": "The upgrade of the Buttaigudem-Kovvur highway signals improved connectivity and economic prospects for tribal areas and villages along the Godavari River, supporting local livelihoods and access to key sites.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}