Centre ignoring southern States: K T Rama Rao

Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister K T Rama Rao said on Thursday that the Central government was completing ignoring the southern States particularly Telangana in sanctioning railway projects.

Speaking after inaugurating divisional offices branch office of South Central Railway Employees Sangh here, he said Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks about ‘Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas,’ but there are no high speed or bullet trains announced for these States. “It doesn’t augur well for the country if these States are ignored in sanctioning railway projects especially high speed and bullet trains,” he said, and pointed out that the southern States were top in any sector particularly cities like Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Chennai that have metros.

“I was in the US and visited China and Japan and the main reason behind these countries remaining ahead in development is high speed rail connectivity. In the ensuing budget this



year, the Centre must sanction high speed trains to us apart from starting the railway coach factory works in Kazipet and sanctioning new railway lines,” he said.

The Centre should give preference to South India especially Telangana and South Central Railway, he said. After the formation of the State, the Centre had promised to establish railway coach factory in Kazipet and sought allocation of 162 acres of land. “The State government, instead, handed over 300 acres land to the railways but there is no forward movement in setting up the factory,” he said.

Stating that Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) should be strengthened and their activities widened, Rama Rao said any attempt to weaken the PSUs will lead to the TRS coming to the aid of railway employees. “The party will launch an agitation to protect the rights of employees if the Central government tries to be unjust to them,” he added.