Nadikudi-Srikalahasti railway line works pending

Nellore: Nadikudi-Srikalahasti railway line is moving at a snail's pace due to poor allocation in the budget. For 2018-19, only Rs 420 crore was allocated in the budget and laying of a 46 km railway line from Piduguralla to Savalyapuram as part of phase-I is nearing completion.

The railway line is planned between Nadikudi and Srikalahasti connecting many remote areas of Nellore, Guntur, Prakasam, and Chittoor districts and the length of the line is 308 km. But only around 50 kms were completed, and the deadline of March 2019 is also over. In fact, because of this railway line distance decreases up to 80 km and will be utilised as an alternative line in case of any severe natural disaster hits areas close to the coast.

The total length of the section is 308 km and the estimated cost of the project is Rs 2,452 crore which was sanctioned in 2011-12. The proposed stations between the two destinations are Piduguralla, Savalyapuram, Vinukonda, Gundlakamma, Venkatagiri, and newly proposed are Nakirekal, Rompicharla, Vekanakonda, Darsi, Podili, GV Palli, Kanigiri, Balipalle, Pamuru, Gollavaripalli, Vinjamuru, Atmakuru, Obulayapalli, Venkatapuram, Adurupalli, Rapuru, Vellampalli, and Alturupadu stations.

The railway line will also be useful as an alternate route to Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka states that passes through the remote areas of the four districts.

The State government has expressed its nod for providing land at free of cost and accepted to bear 50 per cent of the project cost of the proposed a new broad-gauge railway line. Land acquisition process in Nellore district also started as per GO MS 3 of January 5, 2016. For the railway line, the State has to attach 50 per cent funds for taking up the project.

The project has to be completed in four phases between Piduguralla and Savalyapruam, Gundlakamma-Darsi and Venkatagiri-Alturupadu, Darsi-Kanigiri and Alturupadu-Venkatapuram, Kanigiri-Obulayapalli-Venkatapuram.

"The Stat government is busy with land acquisition activity for the Krishnapatnam-Obulavaripalli railway line and the Centre had paid Rs 6 lakh per acre to the farmers. Now, farmers, who are losing lands for the Nadikudi-Srikalahasti railway line are demanding Rs. 16-18 lakh per acre. Landowners have still to get the compensation from the government. Though it was planned to complete by 2020 and there are no concrete steps to complete the project failing to accelerate the process," said an official connected to land acquisition. Though the Centre had made a significant allocation of Rs 700 crore for the project in February this year still the works are at snail's pace due to delay in land acquisition, he added.