80% survey works completed

Rest of the survey would be over in 10 days. Land acquisition process begins in Nellore district. Big boost to exports from the district with 308 km railway line. New line would be shortest route to Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka from AP.

Nellore: Much-awaited railway line between Nadikudi and Srikalahasti that would be helpful for connecting upland areas of Guntur, Prakasam, Nellore and Chittoor districts is going to be reality soon as more than 80 per cent survey works were completed and the rest would be finished in the coming ten days.

It may be recalled that a new railway line between Nadikudi and Srikalahasti has been proposed with Rs 1,314 crore, according to estimates in 2010, for promoting exports in cement and granite industries in the region which would be an alternate and shortest route to Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka from the State that passes through uplands of the four districts.

The State government has expressed its interest to provide land free of cost and bear 50 per cent of the cost of the proposed railway line of 308 km for constructing new broad gauge railway line between Nadikudi and Srikalahasti. As per GO MS no 3 dated 05-01-2016, land acquisition for Nadikudi to Srikalahasti line project in Nellore district has begun.

“We have completed survey in Varikuntapadu, Kaligiri, Vinjamuru, and Kondapuram mandals which was started some 4 months ago. Now, survey is going on in Atmakur mandal. Shortly, the process will be finished in Chejarla, Podalakur, Rapur, Dakkili, and Venkatagiri,” said B Surendra, Assistant Director of Survey and Land Records. The survey in all these mandals will complete in ten days, he added.

For hastening the survey process, district administration has allocated mandal-wise survey teams coordinating with Railways. Railway officials have to visit these areas and subsequently land acquisition process starts soon after they express satisfaction. The length of the railway line in the district would be around 150 km, according to official sources.

The new line will connect Srikalahasti, Venkatagiri, Rapur, Obulayapalli, Podili, Darsi, Gundlakamma, Vinukonda, Rompicherla, Nakerakal and Nadikudi. The Joint Collector also directed the officials to focus on the survey works keeping in view of upcoming industrial units and the much-awaited railway line. Officials said nearly 101 hectares of lands may come under the proposed railway line and the teams were focusing on these lands for preventing further problems.