After ITIR project in Hyderabad, the BJP government at the Centre has dealt yet another blow to Telangana State by backtracking on setting up of Kazipet Rail Coach Factory that was promised to Telangana under AP Reorganiation Act, 2014.
In reply to an RTI petition, the Centre said, “There was no need to set up a Railway Coach Factory in Telangana.”
This RTI reply has escalted the war between TRS and BJP in Telangana with TRS working president and IT minister K T Rama Rao lashing out at ‘discrimination’ being shown by Modi government towards Telangana.
“Setting up of a Rail Coach factory is the constitutional right of Telangana. BJP does not have any right to reject or take a U-turn on the promise made to Telangana in Parliament. Rail coach factory is Telangana’s constitutional right and we will fight for our rights with the Centre,” said KTR. He also added that the TRS MPs would fight for the rail coach factory in Parliament in the upcoming sessions.
“The BJP government at the Center has been doing injustice to Telangana since the formation of the state. The BJP once again exhibited its anti-Telangana stance by failing to fulfill its promise to set up a railway coach factory in the state as promised in the Reorganisation Act,” said TRS Working President KTR.
KTR vehemently criticized the response given by the Union Railway Minister who, responding to a recent RTI petition, said that there was no need to set up a Railway Coach Factory in Telangana.
KTR said that the central government, which had already canceled the ITIR project and curbed IT development in Hyderabad city, had made it clear that there was no need for the Kazipet Rail Coach Factory. KTR strongly condemned the Center’s attitude towards Telangana and said, “Not setting up of the coach factory would be a major injustice done to Warangal and Telangana by the central Government.”
KTR demanded that the Central government immediately change its decision and make a clear statement towards setting up a Railway Coach Factory in Kazipet. KTR on the occasion referred to the fact that CM KCR had personally appealed to PM Narendra Modi regarding the setting up of the Kazipet Coach Factory and had written several letters.
KTR said that on the other hand they are making all necessary efforts on behalf of the state government to set up a railway coach factory in Telangana. As part of this, the procurement of space for the railway coach factory has also been completed, he added. He also said that very valuable 150 acres of land for the Railway Coach Factory has been specially acquired and handed over to the Central Railway Department.
KTR said that despite repeated consultations on the projects for the state of Telangana, there was no response from the BJP at the Center and that the BJP Government had not done anything except showing empty hands to Telangana.
There is no response from the Center to Telangana’s demands of eight pending railway lines, two new lines, Kazipet Wagon Factory, Kazipet Railway Division, and setting up of Railway University.
The minister said that every time there is a big zero for Telangana in the budget. He said that even in the latest budget announced by the central government for this year, not a single rupee has been allocated for the railways in the state of Telangana.
Minister KTR said that the BJP had done a great injustice to Telangana with regard to the bullet train and high-speed railways which the central government boasts of. The non-allocation of these bullet/speed trains to a metropolis like Hyderabad is a testament to BJP’s discrimination towards Telangana.
KTR said the Center was making a concerted effort to fully privatized Railways. The Center had already identified the 12 busiest clusters across the country and decided to hand over 109 major railway lines to private companies, which could cost the railways about Rs 63,000 crore in annual revenue.
Minister KTR warned that with the privatization of railways the future of millions of youth in the country is going to be bleak as there won’t be new job notifications from the Railways, the largest employer in the country. Minister KTR demanded that Telangana BJP leaders, who are raising a hue and cry for government jobs here locally should respond to the railway privatization issue, without fail.
The central government, which is very keen on privatizing the railways, does not respond to land allotment requests by the Telangana government for the construction of double bedroom houses and road widening.
