TS gets big hike in railway budget Rs 600 crore for MMTS

HYDERABAD: From the highest-ever capital outlay of Rs 2.4 lakh crore that the Union Budget has provided to railways, Telangana received a significantly higher share of Rs 4,418 crore, which is 45 per cent more than the Rs 3,048 crore given last fiscal. Of that, Rs 600 crore has been earmarked for the Phase II of Multi-Modal Transport System (MMTS) in Hyderabad, railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced on Friday during a virtual conference with officials of South Central Railways (SCR).

The railway minister stated that SCR was allocated Rs 13,786 crore, which translates to an overwhelming 65 per cent jump from Rs 8,349.75 crore in 2022-23. The total budget allocation for infrastructure projects and safety works, falling fully or partly in Telangana in 2023-24 is at Rs 4,418 crore, he said.

The allocation for Andhra Pradesh is Rs 8,406 crore, compared to Rs 7,032 crore in 2022-23, which is a 20 per cent increase. It was because of unforeseen delays that the original sanctioned amount for MMTS Phase II, which was Rs 816.55 crore in 2012-13, has increased. Recently, the Telangana government decided to release Rs 200 crore for the MMTS Phase 11, which covers 101 km.

Work has been completed on Malkajgiri-Bolaram double-line electrification for 14 km; Telapur-Ramchandrapuram for six km, Medchal-Bolaram doubling for 14 km, Moula Ali-Ghatkesar quadrupling for 12.2 km and Falaknuma-Umdanagar doubling for 13.5 km.

Meanwhile, doubling and electrification works are progressing on the Sanathnagar-Moula Ali and Moula Ali-Malkajgiri-Sitaphalmandi sections.

Maintenance centres for Vande Bharat Express trains are coming up in Hyderabad, Kacheguda and Secunderabad stations.

An amount of Rs 185 crore has been allotted for the 151-km Manoharabad-Kothapalli new line project, which was sanctioned in 2006-07 at a cost of Rs 1,160 crore. This is a 1/3 cost-sharing project between railways and Telangana government, which will provide the land. As of now, 44 km of the project stands completed.

The Bhadrachalam-Kovvur new line project has been sanctioned Rs 20 crore. The project was sanctioned in 2012-13 covering a distance of 151 km at a cost of Rs 1,445 crore, which was later revised to Rs 2,154.83 crore. An amount of Rs 10 crore has been allotted for the Manuguru-Ramagundam new line project while Rs 345 crore has been allotted for Munirabad-Mahbubnagar new line project.