Even after nine years of the state formation, Telangana continues to face injustice from the union government. The centre is showing its indifference towards a top-performing state like Telangana and raw deals are meted out to the state in sanctioning any major projects. The BJP-led central government has completely ignored the promise made in Schedule 13 of the AP State Reorganisation Act, 2014, to set up a railway coach factory in Kazipet.
The longstanding demand for a railway coach factory in Kazipet dates back to 1980 when the project was initially announced by the then PM Indira Gandhi. However, in 1981, it was eventually relocated to Kapurtala in Punjab. Later, rail coach factories were established in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and West Bengal, while Telangana was not given any consideration for such a facility.
Despite the popular demand for the Kazipet coach factory, in 2016, the then Minister of State for Railways Manoj Singh declared that there was no scope for setting up a coach factory anywhere in the country. But surprisingly, the central government reversed its stance on the issue. Just before the 2019 Maharashtra assembly elections, the Narendra Modi government diverted the Kazipet railway coach factory to Latur in Maharashtra. What is more shocking is that this development came after the central government sanctioned Rs. 40 crores for the Kazipet coach factory and the Telangana government allocated 60 acres of land.
However, the same BJP-led centre didn’t hesitate to sanction major railway projects to poll-bound states like Gujarat. In April 2022, PM Narendra Modi announced a Rs. 20,000 crore electric locomotive plant in Gujarat’s Dahod. On the contrary, in the same year in December, the centre clarified in the Parliament that Kazipet will not be getting a coach factory. But, announced plans to set up a rail coach factory in Kokarjahar, Assam.
Let alone the Kazipet coach factory, the centre is even reluctant to sanction new railway lines and expand the existing lines in the Telangana region despite making profits. Also, requests made by Minister KT Rama Rao and Telangana MPs for financial assistance for Hyderabad Metro Phase – 2 fell on deaf ears.
The centre’s dubious double standards on the issue of railway coach factories have been thoroughly exposed. Neglecting and ignoring the aspirations of the people of Telangana is nothing but plain and simple cheating.