The Andhra Pradesh Government has agreed to share 50 per cent of the cost with the Indian Railways for implementation of seven railway projects worth Rs 1,800 crore within the South Central Railway (SCR).
It would take five years to implement these projects, which include Bhadrachalam-Kovuru and Nadikude-Srikalahasti, apart from doubling of Vijaywada-Narsapur and Guntur-Repalle lines.
“The state government is also willing to expedite the process of land acquisition for the projects. I had a detailed meeting with chief minister K Rosaiah and his team of officials. We both agreed that delay in land acquisition would delay the projects and that would lead to price escalation for both the state and the Railways,” he told mediapersons here on Monday.
The railways is also planning to invite tenders for the Rs 2,000-crore Cuddapah-Bangalore project, for which the Andhra Pradesh government had already allotted ' 40 crore, while the railways pumped in ' 69 crore to commence work.
Nodal agency to expedite matters
The state government has constituted a nodal agency with transport principal secretary S P Singh and revenue principal secretary Anil C Puneeta as members to speed up all matters relating to railway lines.
Informing this to Union minister of state for railways, KH Muniyappa, today, Rosaiah said Singh would be in constant touch with the SCR authorities to clear all issues pertaining to laying of new rail lines, doubling of existing lines and construction of railway bridges.
Rosaiah, who held a meeting on all pending issues of railways, also handed over a cheque for Rs 22.9 crore to Muniappa as the state government’s contribution towards new rakes for multi-mode transport system (MMTS).
According to an official press release, the railway officials informed Rosaiah that funds could not be utilised due to lack of availability of land. They wanted the chief minister to put the railway projects on fast-track as they currently have enough funds to execute them.
Earlier in the day, Muniyappa flagged off four trains — Hyderabad-Ajmer bi-weekly, Kacheguda-Miryalguda, Kachiguda-Mahbubnagar and the all women ‘Mathrubhoomi Mahila MMTS’.
