Passengers association hails funds allocation
The East Godavari and Cocanada Town Passengers Association hailed the allocation of funds (though not to the full requirement) for the two pending rail projects in Godavari districts. The allocation is expected to pave the way to fulfill the long cherished desire of the people of Godavari districts as the execution will pave for direct connectivity to distant places.
Kakinada: The East Godavari and Cocanada Town Passengers Association hailed the allocation of funds (though not to the full requirement) for the two pending rail projects in Godavari districts. The allocation is expected to pave the way to fulfill the long cherished desire of the people of Godavari districts as the execution will pave for direct connectivity to distant places.
As far as both the Godavari districts are concerned, the two pending rail projects which have been kept pending for more than one and half decades were allocated funds to start the activity. While Kakinada- Pithapuram main land project is for a distance of about 25 kilometers, the allocation was made to the tune of Rs 50 crore. With the escalated cost of land, the project execution cost is expected to touch Rs 200 crore. The project was cleared in 1998 by NDA government.
The Kotipalli- Amalapuram -Narasapuram project was also provided Rs 200 crore in the budget. The cost of the project, which was cleared during the previous NDA regime in the year 2000, is expected to cross Rs 1,800 crore as four rail bridges are to be built in between on River Godavari. The project was cleared in the year 2000 when Mamata Banerjee was railway minister.
As the projects are expected to be taken up with 50 percent of project cost to be borne by state government, as agreed during the first tenure of Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, the onus now falls on state government to provide the matching grant or the cost of land.
East Godavari and Cocanada Town Passengers Association president and SCR Zonal Rail Users Consultative Committee (ZRUCC) member Y D Rama Rao, while welcoming the allocations for the two rail projects, said that the funds were allotted after a span of more than one and half decades of clearance.
Meanwhile Cocanada Chamber of Commerce president and DRUCC (Divisional Rail Users Consultative Committee) member Dantu Surya Rao while welcoming the Rail Port connectivity sought the railways to provide dedicated connectivity for uninterrupted service for the port area.
