HYDERABAD: Telangana State Planning Board vice-chairman B Vinod Kumar has alleged that the Centre was doing gross injustice to the state in awarding new railway projects and implementing existing ones.
He urged Union railway minister Ashwini Vishnaw to sanction new railway projects to the state in the upcoming budget and at the same time expedite the pending projects.
In a letter to the Union railway minister on Thursday, Vinod Kumar said as per the Section 13 of the AP Reorganisation Act, 2013, railways should, within six months from the appointed day, examine the feasibility of establishing a rail coach factory in Telangana and improve rail connectivity in the state.
“Unfortunately, no action has been taken regarding the railway coach factory till now. How many more years will this step-motherly treatment continue? Progressive states such as Telangana must be encouraged with more resources,” the former MP said.
“Geographically, Telangana is a landlocked state and was strategically located interconnecting all parts of the country from north to south and east to west. But unfortunately rail connectivity has not improved at all in the past seven years,” Vinod said.
“Since the formation of the new state, Kothapalli-Manoharabad railway line is the only project that has taken off and is being implemented with major support from the Telangana government in terms of free land provision as well as 1/3rd cost contribution,” he added.
