TRAINLOAD OF OPTIMISM

TS, AP lobby for a slew of projects in the Railway Budget

Peddpalli-Karimnagar-Nizamabad line sanctioned by the Narasimha Rao regime in

1993

48km

35km

PeddapalliKarim na gar stretch: Work completed in 2000. Train services started in 2001 Karimnagar-Jagityal stretch: Work completed in 2007. Train services started the same year. Chief Ministers K. Chandrasekhar Rao and N. Chandrababu Naidu have sought a bouquet of projects in the Railway Budget to be presented on February 25.

Even as officials stay optimistic, experts and employees’ union leaders said that many of the projects, valued at `34,579 crore, already sanctioned for Telangana and AP are either moving slowly or yet to start due to lack of funding.

Even projects sanctioned 22 years ago — for example, the Peddap alli-Karim na garNiza ma bad line—are yet to be completed. The high-speed bullet train proposal has remained on paper.

South Central Railway Mazdoor Union general secretary Ch Sankara Rao said injustice had been meted out to Telangana and AP over the last 15-20 years by successive Union railway ministers Nitish Kumar, Lalu Prasad Yadav, Ram Vilas Paswan, Mamata Banerjee, Jaffar Sharief and Mallikarjun Kharge, all of whom allocated projects and funds to their home states.

“The main reason for the two Telugu regions losing out in the Railway Budget is the absence of their voice in the Union Cabinet. Though we have had ministers of state for railways like Bangaru Laxman, Bandaru Dattatreya and Kotla Suryaprakash Reddy, the junior ministers do not have the

50km

Jagityal;-Morthad stretch: Work completed in 2015, goods trains running now. required voice. The State governments of TS and AP have failed to exert pressure on the Union government and the railway ministry to get projects and funds allocated,” Mr Sankara Rao said.

AP transport department special chief secretary B. Sam Bob said it was important to get rail projects sanctioned, as they would be completed eventually. The state government has to regularly follow it up with the railway ministry, he said.

He said Mr Naidu had met Union railway minister Suresh Prabhu and sought allocation of `740 crore for cross-sharing projects, in which the Centre and the state share costs. These include building railway lines on the Nadikudi-Srikalahasthi, Pithapuram-Kakinada, GunturGuntakal-Dharmavaram, Kotipalli-Narsapur routes and a third line on the VijayawadaGudur section.

Apart from this, Mr Naidu has lobbied for modernisation of the Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, Tirupati and Rajahmundry railway stations, he said. He added that the 150-km Bhadrachalam-Kovvuru line was a priority for AP as it provides an alternative.

Mr Chandrasekhar Rao has been pressing for the 151-km Manoharabad Kottapalli line on which work has not started although it was sanctioned in 2006-07. “This line is planned in the backward region and is crucial to kickstart economic activity,” a senior TS official from the

17km

MorthadArmoor stretch: Work completed in 2015-16, engine rolling

being done

20km

Armoor-Nizamabad stretch: Proposed to be completed by end of 2016. transport department said.

He said the government was seeking funds for the Manuguru-Rama gun dam, Bhadrachalam-Sattu pal li, Ma cher la-N al go nd a line and Mallacheruvu Janpahad lines. The government was also asking for doubling of the Secunderabad-Mahbubnagar line and completion of the PeddapalliNiza ma bad line, in addition to city-based projects like MMTS Phase-II and new rail terminals.”

Completion time differs from one line to the other, due to factors including land acquisition and availability of funds.

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