Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar reviewing the progress of various railway projects in Karimnagar on Friday.
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRAGEMENT
The Kothapalli-Manoharabad railway line has been a long-cherished dream of people of the erstwhile composite Karimnagar and Medak districts and efforts are on to complete its construction and make it operational by 2027, said Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar in Karimnagar on Friday.
Addressing the media after reviewing the progress of various railway projects in Karimnagar Parliamentary constituency in Karimnagar on Friday, the Union Minister said renewed focus has been laid on the speedy completion of the long pending railway line. The Central government approved the 151.36 km Kothapalli-Manoharabad new railway line in July 2016, with an estimated cost of ₹1,160.48 crore. But significant delays occurred due to land acquisition issues. For the railway line to be completed, the revised estimate indicates a total expenditure of ₹2,780.78 crore. So far, ₹1,444.17 crore has been spent, he said, adding that the State government is required to contribute one-third of the total project cost as per the agreement.
Out of the total 151.36 km of the project, construction work for 76.135 km has been completed so far. Over 75 km of work still remains, he said.
Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar reviewing the progress of various railway projects in Karimnagar on Friday.
| Photo Credit:
SPECIAL ARRAGEMENT
In the 2024-25 budget, ₹350 crore has been sanctioned, of which ₹262.93 crore has already been spent. The target is to complete over 30 km of railway line construction in the Siddipet and Rajanna Sircilla districts by September this year, he noted.
Stating that the State government is responsible for acquiring the land for the construction of the railway line as per the agreement, he said significant delays in land acquisition hindered the progress of construction. Currently, 90% of the land acquisition issues have been resolved. Out of the total 2,830 acres of land required, 199 acres remain to be acquired.
The construction work for 31.06 km from Vemulawada to Kothapalli and for 10.7 km in Rajanna Sircilla district is expected to be completed by March, 2026.
He further added that plans are afoot to develop Kothapalli railway station into a junction station with freight handling facilities.
The construction of Road Over Bridge (ROB) at Uppal in Jammikunta mandal is in the final phase and it is expected to become operational within the next three months, the Union Minister said.
Modernisation works are progressing at a brisk pace at Karimnagar railway station at an estimated cost of ₹44.16 crore under the Amrit Bharat Station Yojna. The works are scheduled to be completed by March 31 this year.
He said, “We have laid special focus on speedy execution of works on the ROB in Karimnagar taken up under the Setu Bandhan Scheme at a cost of ₹154 crore.”
Published – January 10, 2025 09:16 pm IST
