Hyderabad: Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar on Thursday asserted that Karimnagar is witnessing tangible development under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, citing infrastructure upgrades, particularly in the railway sector, as evidence.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the modernised Kothapalli railway station, where he was joined by State BC Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar, MLCs Malka Komuraiah, Anji Reddy and senior Railway officials, Sanjay said citizens should assess the leaders responsible for such progress and not be swayed by opposition claims.
He noted that the Karimnagar Railway Station is among the many modernised under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme. He announced that Jammikunta station is also slated for inclusion in the scheme soon. Additionally, a detailed project report (DPR) has been prepared for a proposed 61-km railway line between Karimnagar and Hassanparthi, estimated at ₹1,480 crore. He said the Centre is expected to take a final decision on the project soon.
On passenger services, Sanjay stated that both he and State Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar had written to the authorities requesting a daily train between Karimnagar and Tirupati. While citing congestion and technical constraints as current hurdles, he assured efforts are underway to increase the frequency of the existing biweekly service to four times a week.
Highlighting the national scope of infrastructure improvement, he said Prime Minister Modi had virtually inaugurated 103 upgraded railway stations, part of a nationwide initiative to modernise 1,350 stations at a total cost of ₹25,000 crore. Of these, ₹2,000 crore was spent on the 103 stations inaugurated that day.
Sanjay underscored that Telangana has seen over 20 railway projects since 2014, covering 2,298 km and valued at ₹42,119 crore. For the current fiscal year alone, railway projects in the state received a budgetary allocation of ₹5,337 crore.
