Once again Andhra Pradesh is omitted by Railway Minister

01 March, 2013

Andhra Pradesh is not respected by any Railway Minister regarding allotting projects. The UPA-1&2 both were able to sit on the power chair in Delhi because of highest number of MPs from the Congress Party. The pity is even in the election year budget of Railway also yielded nothing. Despite the Telangana agitation the Telangana region also not benefited any thing.

The Northern India (Uttara Bharatam) is always in priority for any Government in India whether it is good or bad. Hence, in the budgets, may be it is general or Railway, the lion's share goes to this region. Fortunately, all the railway ministers except Jaffer Sharif and all the finance ministers except Chidambaram - all are northerners.

Usually, any minister who wants to develop his /her area does so without any hesitation. Thus, Railway Ministers who hold the post don't feel shy regarding developing the Railway infrastructure as much as they can - including Raiberelli and Amethi. If any development is taken up in these two parliamentary constituencies - it is called inclusive development.

Let us take the issue of Bansal. He also belongs to the North like his predecessors and he did nothing wrong in giving all major projects to the North including the most important parliamentary Constituencies Raiberalli and Amethi. The South Central Railway, which is one of the most profitable Zones for Railways - is always lagging behind in getting projects.

This time there is a MoS of Railways from Andhra Pradesh who is none other than the son of Late Kotla VijayaBhaskara Reddy, but he could get a wagon work shop for Kurnool which is his native constituency. Already, there is a wagon work shop in Vijayawada - why don’t they give a coach factory? As far as my sixth sense tells - it may not become operational like a coach factory in Khazipet Junction for which Railways has announced four years ago but yet to materialize.

This time, fortunately, a small factory has been announced for Vijayawada - that is a water-bottling unit. The Vijayawada station is earning Rs. 170 crores but it is always far behind to little earned northern states stations. It is not a Junction but a pilgrim center. The parliament member of Vijayawada has requested the Railway Minister to sanction a night passenger train to Secundrabad for the benefit of poor people but this small request is also denied. Vijayawada is needed a satellite station to make halt of some passenger trains. That request is not taken into consideration.

Vijayawada has become a station for the passing of trains but travelers of this city, it will not have sufficient berths to book. Recently, facelift work has been taken up for the station but it is not up to the mark, and it is not looking beautiful and worthy. The same thing has been done for Visakhapatnam but it is very good and awesome to see.

Whatever it is, only when a cabinet Minister for Railways is from Andhra Pradesh can development take place in the southern region - until then you can’t expect any project or any new train or any new line.