Funds major constraint for new rail lines in Andhra Pradesh

Vijayawada: Funds will be a major problem for railway development in Andhra Pradesh, especially as central funds are not easy to come by. The state government has plans to establish new railway lines from Amaravati capital to other important destinations across AP.

The state plans to undertake such projects jointly with the Union government and the railway ministry, under a provision that the state would have a 51 per cent share in the projects. All the projects would require huge funds. As high as Rs 50 crore is needed for laying of rail line per kilometre, but the railway ministry has allocated a meagre Rs 1,200 crore for all the projects under the purview of AP and Telangana states.

The AP government is keen on establishing new railway connectivity from the capital city to Rayalaseema districts and Bengaluru. It would require Rs 7,500 crore even at the rate of Rs 10 crore per kilometre. However, the ongoing projects and sanctioned projects have been allocated minimal funds in the recent Budget.

According to estimates, nearly 750 km of new track is required for providing rail connectivity from Amaravati to Bengaluru through the Rayalaseema districts. But, new track can be erected at the rate of only '10 crore per km, which is comparatively four times lesser than the normal track expenditure. Already, land for the first lane was  available and land was acquired for the second lane also, said a senior railway official.

He said the existing projects were also waiting for fund release. The completion of projects is impossible with the funds allocated in the recent Railway Budget, says South Central Railway Mazdoor Union zonal leader Ch. Shankar Rao. The state government also could not provide the funds as it was approaching the foreign agencies for funding various projects, he said.