BRS Attitude Damaging: Minister Kishan Reddy
Union railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw will review the ongoing works during his visit on Saturday.
Hyderabad: Union minister G. Kishan Reddy on Thursday lashed out at BRS leaders for resorting to political vendetta and undermining the Centre’s developmental initiatives, particularly in Telangana’s railway sector. He said that 70 per cent of work on the railway manufacturing unit at Kazipet was complete and production of engines, coaches and wagons was expected to begin in the next financial year.
The minister said the Centre had sanctioned Rs 521 crore for the project, with another Rs 200 crore likely to be released soon. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi is personally monitoring the progress,” he said. Union railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw will review the ongoing works during his visit on Saturday.
He criticised BRS leader K. Chandrashekar Rao’s family for belittling the Kazipet project as a wagon-cleaning unit. Reddy emphasised that under the BJP’s vision, cities like Warangal, Nizamabad and Karimnagar would be developed on par with Hyderabad, unlike the neglect seen under successive state governments.
Kishan Reddy also pointed to the Centre’s push for one of the seven mega textile parks sanctioned nationally to be set up in Warangal.
The Union minister said Chandrashekar Rao had ignoring repeated requests to allocate land for the Warangal airport. He said the Congress government should expedite land acquisition for airport construction, pointing out that the Centre had finished 50 per cent of the works on the Warangal ring road, with the rest pending state execution.
Kishan Reddy said the Congress government had stalled the Rs 330 crore MMTS Phase-2 project connecting Hyderabad to Yadagirigutta, failing to honour its commitment despite signing an MoU with the Centre. He announced that the Komuravelli Mallanna Temple railway station would be ready by January 2026.
On broader infrastructure upgrades, Kishan Reddy said that modernisation works for 40 railway stations in Telangana, costing Rs 33,000 crore, are expected to be completed by June next.
Referring to the Centre's initiative to convene meetings between the Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana over the Godavari water dispute, he reaffirmed the BJP’s belief in cooperative federalism. “These meetings are aimed at building consensus, not issuing judgments,” he said.
He accused the BRS of shifting its stance on inter-state issues depending on whether it was in power or opposition. He recalled Chandrasekhar Rao’s remark that Telangana could optimally use 700-800 tmc ft of Godavari water and suggested Andhra Pradesh utilise the rest.
