The state government wants the Centre to extend MMTS service from Ghatkesar to Yadadri (Yadagirigutta) to cater to the increasing number of pilgrims visiting the hill shrine which the government is planning to develop on a par with Tirumala in Andhra Pradesh.
And the state also wants Raigir, the railway station closest to Yadagirigutta, renamed Yadadri.
Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao wrote a letter to Union railway minister Suresh Prabhu seeking extension of MMTS service from Ghatkesar to Raigir (Yadadri) on cost-sharing basis and inclusion of the project in the railway budget for 2016-17. The state government is ready to bear two-thirds of the estimated cost and the railways the remaining cost.
Rao said in the letter that his government was leaving no stone unturned in the process of developing Yadadri, a holy hill shrine located about 60 km from Hyderabad, as a mega pilgrimage and spiritual hub.
“The government has acquired more than 2,000 acres of land for developing the whole area on the lines of Tirupati with excellent amenities for devotees.”
Explaining the need for extension of MMTS, Rao said Yadadri temple had a railway line passing nearby with a halt station called Raigir in the Secunderabad-Kazipet section of South Central Railway.
“The MMTS services in and around Hyderabad city have become very popular and the second phase of MMTS is currently under execution. One of the stretches of MMTS phase-II is Secunderabad-Ghatkesar (21 km) and it is expected to be completed in 2016-17. The MMTS phase-II can be further extended from Ghatkesar to Raigir (32 km) by laying a third railway line with attendant signalling works,” Rao said, adding that the Raigir station can be renamed and developed as Yadadri station.
Informing Suresh Prabhu that implementation of the Yadadri Temple Development Authority’s master plan was in the initial stage, Rao said that about 20,000 people, on an average, were visiting Yadadri from Hyderabad during weekdays and about 40,000 to 50,000 people visit on weekends.
Source: The New Indian Express