Union Budget 2023: Telangana Govt Wants Funds For Railway Projects

The Minister wrote that Telangana contributes substantially to the revenues of the South Central Railway

Telangana IT minister KT Rama Rao ( Image Source :ABP Desam )

The Telangana government has requested the Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to ensure adequate funding for state railroad projects in the Union Budget 2023–24.

Telangana IT and Industries Minister KT Rama Rao on Monday wrote a letter to the Union Railway Minister that highlighted severe discrimination being meted out to Telangana in budget allocation to various railway projects.

Minister KTR stated that the state government has repeatedly pleaded with the Union government to provide funding for a number of significant existing and proposed projects in the state. "The discrimination in the railway sector is more blatant and visible, and the state has been getting a raw deal in every budget presented by the NDA government," he wrote.

The Minister wrote that Telangana contributes substantially to the revenues of the South Central Railway (both freight and passenger). "The state is a crucial link between North and South India and is home to the most important railway junctions in our country, Secunderabad and Kazipet. Being a landlocked state, Telangana is heavily dependent on railway infrastructure for transportation of goods and passengers. The addition of new railroad infrastructure will be a big boost to the state's growth story. "But the Union government is found wanting when it comes to extending necessary assistance to develop new transport infrastructure in Telangana," he said.

He said that it is appalling to note that in the past eight years, just a little over 100 km of railway track has been laid in Telangana. The state has a paltry 3 percent of the total railway lines in the country, out of which about 57 percent are single lane. "This lack of critical infrastructure is depriving Telangana of any new trains. It is disheartening to note that in the past eight years, South Central Railway has launched only one new train from the capital city: Lingampally-Vijayawada Intercity Express." 

Rama Rao urged that the Railway Board approve high priority project plans that had been submitted to it in the past.

(With IANS inputs)