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Sanction funds in Union Budget for Telangana Railway Projects: KTR

The IT, Industries & Municipal Administration Minister KTR wrote a letter to Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in which he highlighted the severe discrimination being meted out to Telangana state in budget allocation to various Railway projects. KTR urged the Union Railway Minister to ensure adequate budgetary allocations to state railway projects.

Minister KTR stated that the Union Government has been ignoring repeated pleas from the State Government to sanction funds for several important ongoing and proposed projects in the State. “The discrimination in the Railway sector is more blatant and visible and the state has been getting a raw deal in every budget presented by the NDA government,” said KTR.

“The Thirteenth Schedule of AP State Reorganization Act clearly states that “The Indian Railways shall, within six months from the appointed day, examine the feasibility of establishing a Rail Coach Factory in the successor State of Telangana and improve rail connectivity in the State and take an expeditious decision thereon.”

However, despite repeated appeals from the State government, the Union Government has neither initiated any measure to establish a Rail Coach Factory in Kazipet nor granted any new major infrastructure project to improve rail connectivity in the state.”

“Under the able leadership of CM Sri KCR, the state is witnessing all-round progress. Our economy is consistently performing better than that of many states. From food grains production to IT Exports, Telangana is growing at breakneck speed.

The state is also adding state-of-the-art Logistics infra to complement the growth happening in the Primary and Secondary sectors of our economy. Telangana contributes substantially to the revenues of South Central Railway (both freight and passenger).

The state is a crucial link between North and South India and is home to the most important Railway junctions – Secunderabad & Kazipet – in our country. Being a landlocked state, Telangana is heavily dependent on Railway infrastructure for the transportation of goods and passengers.

The addition of new Railway infrastructure will be a big boost to the state’s growth story. But the Union Government is found wanting when it comes to extending necessary assistance to develop new transport infrastructure in Telangana” said Minister KTR

The Minister said that it is appalling to note that in the past eight years, just a little over 100 Kms of Railway track has been laid in Telangana. The state has a paltry 3% of the total railway lines in our country out of which about 57% are single lanes. This lack of critical infra is depriving Telangana of any new trains. It is disheartening to note that in the past eight years, South Central Railway has launched only one new train from the capital city – Lingampally -Vijayawada Intercity Express!

KTR pointed out that the current NDA Government has not grounded a single new Railway line in Telangana in the past eight years. Even the progress of joint venture railway projects taken up with the state government is also painfully slow. While the Union Government has spent just Rs 1,100 Crores on ongoing Railway projects in the state, the state government has spent Rs 1,904 Crores as its share.

This clearly shows the lack of interest of the Union Government in developing Railway infrastructure in Telangana. Several projects, which were cleared by earlier governments were shelved by the current Union Government. Many other projects for which survey reports are submitted long back have also not moved an inch.

Below mentioned high-priority project proposals were submitted years ago to the Railway Board. These may be sanctioned at the earliest.

• Updation of Gadwal-Macherla (184.20 Km)
• Moula-Ali- Bhongir (38 Km)
• Moula- Ali- Ghatkesar (12.8 Km)
• Ghatkesar – Bhongir (25.2 Km)
• Kachiguda- Chityal (87 Km)
• Gadchandur- Adilabad (70.19 Km)
• Krishna – Vikarabad (121.7 Km)
• Jaggayapeta- Miryalaguda (36.70 Km)
• Pagidipalli- Sankarpalli (110 Km)
• Patancheru- Adilabad (316.77 Km)
• Pandurangapuram- Bhadrachalam town (13 Km)
• Secunderabad- Zaheerabad (63.5 Km)
• Vishnupuram- Vinukonda (66 Km)
• Karimnagar – Hasanparthi (62 Km)
• Updating survey between Kothagudem- Kothapalli (81.57 Km)
• Mahbubnagar- Gooty (213.41 Km)
• Secunderabad- Madikhed- Adilabad (383.01 Km)
• 3rd line between Secunderabad- Kazipet (85.48 Km)
• Ghanpur- Suryapet via Palakurthi (91.7 km)
• Bodhan- Latur road (134.55 Km)
• Bye-pass line at Vikarabad (2.6 Km)
• Yawatmal- Adilabad via Ghantigi (125.5 Km)
• Updation of new line between Adilabad- Armoor (136 Km)
• Electrification between Guntur- Bibinagar (239 Km)
• Electrification between Akola- Dhone (620.27 Km)

In addition to the above, some important railway lines passing through Telangana, which were shelved citing incorrect reasons may also be sanctioned:

• Karimnagar- Manakondur-Huzurabad- Kazipet (61.80 Km)
• Mancherial- Adilabad via Utnoor (160.58 Km)
• Manuguru- Ramagundam via Bhoopalapalli (211 Km)
• Nandyala-Jadcherla (182.4 Km)
• Koyagudam Mines- Tadikalpudi (19 Km)
• Bhadrachalam Road- Visakhapatnam (277 Km)
• Hyderabad- Srisailam upto Acchampet (171 Km)
• Siddipet- Akkanapet (50 Km)
• Patancheru- Sangareddy (89.10 Km)
• Bypass line at Pagidipalli (10.20 Km)

Minister KTR reminded that earlier, the South Central Railways used to convene a meeting of all Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs from the region and accept proposals for new Railway projects and trains. Strangely, even that convention has been done away with this year.

In his letter, Minister KTR urged the Union Railways Minister to sanction funds in the upcoming Budget for all ongoing and proposed Railway Projects in Telangana. Minister added that new trains to meet the passenger and freight demand may be introduced at the earliest. KTR also said that he would like to remind the Union Government of the promise made to the people of the state in AP Reorganization Act and sanction the Coach Factory at Kazipet immediately

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