Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Wednesday gave an update on the development projects underway in Andhra Pradesh by the Ministry of Railways and outlined the government’s future plans for the state.
Vaishnaw said the Narendra Modi government had been focused on railway projects in the state. He was responding to a question in Parliament from Vijayawada Telugu Desam Party (TDP) MP Kesineni Shivnath during the Question Hour about the ongoing railway projects in Andhra.
“Andhra Pradesh is a very important state. If we look at the Budget allocation that has been done for the development of railways in the last 10 years, this is a historical Budget allocation for the development of Andhra Pradesh. Between 2009 and 2014, the average allocation for combined Andhra and Telangana used to be Rs 886 crore per year,” he said.
“Under the Narendra Modi government, the Budget allocation for Andhra Pradesh alone was Rs 8,406 crore in the last financial year. After today’s detailed demands for grants, the Budget allocation for this year will also be revealed,” Vaishnaw said amid protests by the Opposition against alleged discrimination against states ruled by non-National Democratic Alliance (NDA) parties in the Budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday.
The minister spoke specifically about connectivity to Amaravati, the proposed capital of the new state and Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s dream project.
“Even the connectivity to Amaravati, which was a long-cherished project, costing about Rs 2,000 crore …it is a 56-km-long line with a bridge in between …that also has now been cleared by the NITI Aayog. So, a lot of development is being done on the railway front in Andhra Pradesh,” he said.
The minister said the Vijayawada railway station was being developed with a vision for the next 50 years as it was close to the proposed state capital, Amaravati.
Sitharaman announced on Tuesday that the government would allocate Rs 15,000 crore for the establishment of the new capital in Amaravati, along with funding for various development projects. This announcement was paired with a significant allocation for Bihar. Both states are governed by parties whose support the Modi government relies on.
Vainshnaw said project execution in Andhra Pradesh had also significantly increased. He said land acquisition was the biggest impediment to executing railway projects, but he hoped the new government in the state would resolve these issues.
“The average during UPA (United Progressive Alliance) years was just about 72 km a year. In the first two terms of the Narendra Modi government, this more than doubled to 156 km per year. There was an issue of cost-sharing between the Andhra Pradesh government and the Centre. That issue is being discussed. There were issues with land acquisition. I have also personally discussed that issue with the honourable CM of Andhra Pradesh. The projects are getting expedited,” he said.
