SCR ignores Hyderabad zone royally, say experts

Hyderabad: Rail users under the Hyderabad division bel-ieve that the South Central Railway has been neglecting them for long. They claim that efforts to develop stations and routes in the division are not enough. This grouse ties into their complaint about the delay in MMTS Phase II works between Bolaram and Malkajgiri, that would ultimately serve people of this division.

Mr Noor, a former Railway employee and general secretary of the Malkajgiri Suburban Train and Bus Travellers Association, said the Hyderabad division has only one terminal at Kacheguda. Arguing for the decentralisation of the network, he said, “Travellers from the eastern part of the twin cities, which comes under Hyderabad division, have to travel to Secunderabad or Nampally. If the SCR develops Malkajgiri or Bolaram as terminals, trains could begin or terminate there. Very few trains stop at these stations currently, making them useless.”

Mr Noor said Secunderabad has sanctioned terminals — Vattinagulapally, Cha-rlapalli, Lingampally, Secunderabad and Nampally.

“We have been dema-nding from SCR officials to develop Malkajgiri or Bolarum as terminals but our demands have gone unheard,” he said.

Mr Manohar Reddy, a member of SCR’s advocacy body Zonal Railway Users Consultative Committee (ZRUCC), representing the Hyderabad division, said the problem lay much deeper.

“The officials seem to believe that Hyderabad division is the least important one. Conne-ctivity to towns such as Nizamabad and Bodhan in the division is very poor. We have complained even to the railway minister in the past but nobody cares,” he said.

The development of SCR’s network seems to be concentrated in the city’s west zone, where the IT industry is located. “Since the past few months, the Lingam-pally terminal has been developed into an important station. Many trains are originating there. The same convenience has not been offered to people of older parts of the city,” said Noor.

He added that the MMTS Phase II, which would connect Bolaram and Malkajgiri to suburban network, too has been ignored for a long time.

Mr Reddy also said the rail network of Hyderabad division had a rich history. “The initial development of this network was done by the Nizam State Railway. In a way, we had a head start. Sadly, however, since then it has been downhill for us,” he said.

Asked about these complaints, a SCR representative said the decision to develop new terminals is based on route traffic. “For instance, Cherlapalli connects SCR to Delhi, Chennai, Bengaluru and Tirupati. The number of trains passing through Cherlapalli is almost 10 times more than those that pass through Nizamabad,” he said.

The official confirmed that work was underway to increase traffic on routes in Hyderabad division. “Electr-ification works are ongoing along major stretches in the division. Once this happens, we will have a great route towards Mumbai. Then we can proceed with building a new terminal,” he said.

The official added that Bolaram would be the station of choice for a new terminal.

“Malkajgiri is indeed an important station but we don’t have the land to expand it,” he said.