Hyderabad, July 28 (RAHNUMA): BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao met Union Minister for Railways, Information Technology and Electronics Ashwini Vaishnaw in New Delhi on Tuesday and submitted detailed representations seeking the establishment of the Kazipet Railway Division, expeditious completion of key railway projects in Telangana, and enhanced central government support for reviving the State’s Tier-2 IT ecosystem.
Speaking to the media after the meeting, KT Rama Rao said that for the BRS, the development and progress of Telangana were more important than politics, and that the party would always raise issues concerning the interests of the people irrespective of political considerations.
The BRS leader urged the Union Minister to establish a Kazipet Railway Division as part of the ongoing restructuring of the South Central Railway.
He proposed that the new division should include the Kazipet–Ballarshah, Peddapalli–Nizamabad, Kazipet–Errupalem, Dornakal–Manuguru, Mothumarri–Vishnupuram and Kazipet–Vangapalli railway sections, creating a division with nearly 2,000 track kilometres.
The BRS working president pointed out that railway employees have extended their full support to the proposal and observed that while Guntur Division functions with around 900 kilometres and Vijayawada and Guntakal Divisions have nearly 2,200 kilometres each, a Kazipet Division is both operationally feasible and strategically important.
He also requested the Centre to examine the feasibility of establishing a Kothagudem Railway Division.
KTR requested the Union Minister to accelerate the 151-kilometre Manoharabad–Siddipet–Sircilla–Vemulawada–Kothapalli Broad Gauge Railway Line, describing it as a long-standing aspiration of the people of Telangana.
The 76-kilometre Manoharabad–Siddipet section was completed. However, the construction of the remaining 75 kilometres from Siddipet to Sircilla, Vemulawada and Kothapalli has slowed considerably after the Congress government assumed office, he pointed out.
The BRS leader stated that the Union Minister informed him that the project has been delayed because the Telangana government has not released its pending contribution of ₹511 crore, while nearly 96 hectares of land acquisition also remain pending.
KTR noted that project costs have escalated from ₹1,160 crore to nearly ₹2,780 crore, underscoring the need for immediate intervention.
He emphasised that the railway line is crucial for Sircilla, one of Telangana’s major textile hubs, and Vemulawada, home to the famous Sri Raja Rajeshwara Swamy Temple, which attracts lakhs of devotees every year.
KT Rama Rao also requested the Centre to include Sircilla and Vemulawada Railway Stations under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, approve a Rail-cum-Road Bridge across the Mid Manair Reservoir, complete electrification of the Kothapalli–Manoharabad Railway Line, and constitute a high-level coordination committee comprising officials from South Central Railway and the Telangana government for continuous monitoring of the project in line with the Prime Minister’s PM Gati Shakti vision.
The BRS working president further informed that he also submitted a separate representation seeking Central government support for strengthening Telangana’s Tier-2 IT ecosystem.
KTR expressed concern that IT expansion has slowed over the past two years, occupancy levels in IT Towers have declined and some companies have scaled down their operations.
He requested the Union Minister to establish an IndiaAI Centre/IndiaAI Data Lab in Warangal, sanction an STPI Centre of Entrepreneurship in Karimnagar or Khammam focusing on Artificial Intelligence, Cyber Security, Semiconductor Design and Deep Tech, and establish an additional STPI Centre in another Tier-2 city.
