KTR slams Union Budget raw deal to Telangana, demands adequate allocations to railway projects

HYDERABAD: IT, Industries, and Municipal Administration Minister K T Rama Rao wrote a letter to Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Monday, highlighting the extreme unfairness being meted out to Telangana state in budget allocation to major Railway projects.

KTR urged the Union Railway Minister to secure enough budgetary allocations for state railway projects.

The Minister said that the Union Government had repeatedly refused to authorise funds for many key current and projected projects in the state. "Discrimination in the railway business is becoming increasingly evident and visible, and the state has gotten a raw deal in every budget presented by the NDA administration," KTR said.

“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 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 Chief Minister 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 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 transportation of goods and passengers. 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 was 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 had a paltry percent of the total railway lines in our country out of which about 57 percent were single lane. This lack of critical infra was depriving Telangana of any new trains. It was disheartening to note that in the past eight years, South Central Railway had launched only one new train from the capital city - Lingampally -Vijayawada Intercity Express!

KTR pointed out that the current NDA Government had 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 was also painfully slow. While the Union Government had spent just Rs 1,100 Crores on ongoing Railway projects in the state, the state government had spent Rs 1,904 Crores as its share, he added.

He said, 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 had 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.