Ahead of the Railway budget-2012, opposition political parties are intensifying the long-pending demand for upgradation of Kazipet junction to division level besides the immediate start of work on the sanctioned Wagon repair unit.
The Kazipet Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) unit led by Abu Bakr has already given a call to take up agitation on the twin demands, while other opposition parties, including the CPI and the Telugu Desam (TD), are likely to follow suit.
The proposed Rs.300 crore worth wagon repair unit, which needs about 100 acres, has already received preliminary allocation of Rs.21 crores in the last railway budget. However, work has not yet begun on the ground level owing to reported delay in transfer of 54 acre land in Madikonda from the possession of endowments department to railway authorities.
“The Chief Minister, Mr N. Kiran Kumar Reddy, had publicly promised to set up the wagon unit immediately during his Rachchabanda public meeting in Rainigudem village last year. Similarly, the Warangal MP, Mr Siricilla Rajaiah, had termed the unit as a New Year gift to the city’s people in 2011. But the wagon unit is still stuck up in government files,” said Mr Bakr.
The TRS Kazipet unit, which gave a call for an all-party agitation against the government, also ridiculed the sitting MPs and district ministers of the Congress for showcasing the wagon unit in their list of ‘achievements’ on hoardings.
It may be recalled that the issue of wagon unit had unified the opposition parties before the Railway budget presentation in 2011 with TD leaders sitting on hunger strike.
“The wagon unit is not able to see the light of the day due to negligence of the state government and lack of initiative on the part of local ministers,” said TD politburo member Kadiam Srihari.
The district unit CPI, which has been continuously raising the demand for a wagon and coach factory at Kazipet for more than two decades, termed the impasse on land for the proposed wagon unit as ‘unfortunate’.
“Unless the endowments department transfers its 54 acre land to the railways, work will never start on the ground and the railway budget-2012 would be passed without any allocations,” said T. Srinivas Rao, CPI district secretary.
Meanwhile, Kazipet unit of the recognised South Central Railway Majdoor Union (SCRMU) is pinning hopes on the elevation of the Kazipet junction to division level during the forthcoming rail budget.
“Already some upgradation is in process at Kazipet junction like increase in the bed strength of the railway polyclinic from 10 to 25 beds and some more are in the pipeline, including the pending wagon unit, all of which should help Kazipet get the division status,” opined K. Srinivas, president of SCRMU Secunderabad Division.
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