Excerpts from "The Hindu" of 29.6.2008
"Kakinada: The Kakinada-Pithapuram railway line project is most likely to be given the final clearance next year due to the constant efforts of East Godavari District and Cocanada Town Passengers’ Association and Kakinada MP M.M Pallam Raju’s regular follow-up of the proposal with the Ministry of Railways.
Association founder SS Krishnaji, now in his 80s, had first proposed the laying of a double line from Kakinada to Pithapuram in the late 1950s but it never got adequate allocations in the Railway Budget despite the constant pressure mounted by passengers and other people’s organisations.
The project is currently estimated to cost in excess of Rs 100 crores whereas a meagre grant of Rs 10 crores was made in the 2001-02 Railway budget. An additional Rs 5 crores was reportedly earmarked last year. The ball now lies in the court of the Committee on Infrastructure of Planning Commission to which all railway projects costing above Rs 50 crore need to be referred to.
The proposed line measures 24 km long and it needs some 180 acres of land to be acquired by the State Government and handed over to the South Central Railway. It was found to be technically feasible and viable long ago but it never made to the priority list of the Railway Board. Efforts of the then Kakinada MP UV Krishnam Raju failed to realize the dream due to procedural hurdles.
Kakinada MP Pallam Raju is confident that the project would be cleared this year itself and it will take shape thereafter. Speaking to the media recently, he said an announcement would be made in this regard very soon. He also asserted that other railway projects in the district were being considered with a positive bent of mind. His statement enlivened hopes that Kakinada would find its place on the main line.
A railway line that links Annavaram to the Kakinada port through the Kakinada Special Economic Zone is another proposal which is expected to enhance the connectivity in this fast-developing region where the prospect of huge investments are bright."
Please my earlier post of 10th April 2008 on this subject. I thank our MOS and Kakinada MP Sri Pallam Raju for his optimism and announcement. Let us hope for the best and in the meantime keep our fingers crossed.
...ponder
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