Hyderabad: Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president KT Rama Rao on Tuesday, July 28, met Union Minister for Railways and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw seeking the establishment of the Kazipet Railway Division, expeditious completion of key railway projects in Telangana, and enhanced Central Government support for reviving the state’s Tier-2 IT ecosystem.
KTR urged the Union Minister to establish a Kazipet Railway Division as part of the ongoing restructuring of the South Central Railway.
He proposed that the new division should include the Kazipet–Ballarshah, Peddapalli–Nizamabad, Kazipet–Errupalem, Dornakal–Manuguru, Mothumarri–Vishnupuram and Kazipet–Vangapalli railway sections, creating a division with nearly 2,000 track kilometre.
Noting that Guntur Division functions with around 900 kilometres and Vijayawada and Guntakal Divisions have nearly 2,200 kilometres each, he said a Kazipet Division is both operationally feasible and strategically important.
He also requested the Centre to examine the feasibility of establishing a Kothagudem Railway Division.
Expediting Manoharabad–Kothapalli Railway line
KTR also requested acceleration of the 151-kilometre Manoharabad–Siddipet–Sircilla–Vemulawada–Kothapalli Broad Gauge Railway Line, describing it as a long-standing aspiration of the people of Telangana.
He said that the foundation stone for the project was laid when K Chandrashekar Rao was Union Labour Minister, and after the formation of Telangana, the project was revived by the BRS by providing free land acquisition, Right of Way and agreeing to bear one-third of the project cost.
This allowed the 76-kilometre Manoharabad–Siddipet section to be completed and commissioned on October 3, 2023. However, construction of the remaining 75 kilometres from Siddipet to Sircilla, Vemulawada and Kothapalli has slowed considerably after the Congress assumed office, KTR said.
He said that the Telangana government has neither released its pending contribution of Rs 511 crore nor acquired the remaining 96 hectares of land. KTR said that project costs have escalated from Rs 1,160 crore to nearly Rs 2,780 crore, underscoring the need for immediate intervention.
He said that the railway line is crucial for Sircilla, one of Telangana’s major textile hubs, and Vemulawada, home to the famous Sri Raja Rajeshwara Swamy Temple, which attracts lakhs of devotees every year.
KTR also requested the Centre to include Sircilla and Vemulawada Railway Stations under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, approve a Rail-cum-Road Bridge across the Mid Manair Reservoir, complete electrification of the Kothapalli–Manoharabad Railway Line, and constitute a high-level coordination committee comprising officials from South Central Railway and the Telangana government for continuous monitoring of the project in line with the Prime Minister’s PM Gati Shakti vision.
Central support for Telangana’s Tier-2 IT Ecosystem
KTR also submitted a separate representation seeking Central Government support for strengthening Telangana’s Tier-2 IT ecosystem.
He said that between 2014 and 2023, the BRS pursued balanced regional development by expanding the IT sector beyond Hyderabad, creating quality employment, reducing migration and promoting inclusive economic growth.
However, KTR claimed that IT expansion has slowed over the past two years, occupancy levels in IT Towers have declined, and some companies have scaled down their operations. He stated that while Telangana had 9.46 lakh IT jobs under BRS, the number has declined by nearly 7,000 jobs under the Congress.
He requested the Union Minister to establish an IndiaAI Centre/IndiaAI Data Lab in Warangal and sanction a Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) Centre of Entrepreneurship in Karimnagar or Khammam.
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