New Delhi: Telangana chief minister A Revanth Reddy called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the national capital on Wednesday, February 26, and sought the Centre’s support for various pending projects in the state.
During the meeting which lasted for about an hour, the chief minister also briefed the Prime Minister on the ongoing rescue operation in the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel in the Nagarkurnool district.
Multiple agencies of both the state and central governments have been engaged in the operation to rescue eight persons trapped since February 22 when a portion of the tunnel collapsed.
Earlier, the Prime Minister spoke to the chief minister over the phone on February 22 after the tunnel accident. He enquired about the incident and assured all support from the Centre for the rescue operation.
Revanth Reddy, who was accompanied by Minister for Information Technology and Industry D. Sridhar Babu during Wednesday’s meeting, also brought to the Prime Minister’s notice the lack of allocations for Telangana in the Union Budget for 2025-26.
CM urges PM to support development projects
The chief minister also urged Prime Minister Modi to support the proposed infrastructure and development projects in the state.
Revanth Reddy sought the Centre’s assistance for the Regional Ring Road (RRR), the second phase of the Hyderabad Metro Rail project, and fast-track the approvals for the project worth Rs 24,269 crore, which would span 76.4 km across five metro corridors.
Telangana CM also pushed for the Regional Ring Road (RRR) project, which would become an enhancing point in intra-state connectivity across the southern states. CM Revanth pointed out that 90 percent of land acquisition for the northern stretch is already complete, and sought the immediate sanctioning of the southern segment from the Prime Minister. The CM assured the PM that the state was ready to bear 50 percent of the land acquisition costs.
The CM also proposed the setting up of dry ports along the RRR corridor, which would act as key export-import centres, facilitating smoother trade operations.
The CM also presented the need to establish a parallel rail network connecting Telangana’s dry ports to seaports in Andhra Pradesh, thus positioning the state as a major logistics hub.
Another major project discussed between the CM and PM was the Regional Ring Rail, which would link Telangana with neighbouring states through a high-speed rail network. The CM highlighted that the proposed rail network would boost trade, industry, and passenger mobility, benefiting South India’s transport ecosystem.
Telangana CM seeks Rs 20,000 cr central funding for Musi project
About the ongoing Musi Riverfront Development project, and the revival of lakes, the flagship project by the Revanth Reddy government, the CM sought urgent central assistance of Rs 20,000 crore for a rejuvenation drive for various waterbodies in the state.
The proposed project included Bapu Ghat Development at the confluence of the Esa and Musa Rivers, 27 Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) to purify the Musi River, Construction of retaining walls and embankments to curb encroachments and Musi-Godavari River Integration.
He is also likely to meet various Central ministers later in the day to discuss specific projects for which the state government is seeking the Centre’s support.
The chief minister had last met the Prime Minister in July last year and had urged the Centre to release pending funds, allot coal blocks for public sector miner Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) and also fulfil the commitments under the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act.
Revanth Reddy had also requested the Prime Minister to order the transfer of 2,450 acres of defence lands to the state government for various infrastructure projects.
The state government also sought revival of the Information Technology and Investment Region (ITIR) project, which was sanctioned for Hyderabad by the earlier Congress-led UPA government.
The chief minister had also urged the Centre to sanction 25 lakh houses for the state.
The CM urged the PM to approve 29 additional IPS cadre posts for Telangana, owing to rising cybercrimes, drug-related offences, and urban security challenges in the states.
Currently, the state has 61 sanctioned posts, with an additional 15 allocated in 2015 after a review, to bolster the state’s law enforcement capacity.
CM Revanth Reddy also sought PM Modi’s approval to establish the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) in Telangana, making it a key player in India’s electronics and semiconductor ecosystem.
(With inputs from IANS)
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