The Secunderabad and Hyderabad railway stations went live on Thursday with high-speed WiFi services offered by RailTel Corporation as Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu clicked a button.
In what was a first in the South Central Railway, he also commissioned a grid-connected solar energy system and LED lighting to generate 571.42 kWp of power.
Launching an array of services through remote video link from New Delhi, he said it marked a significant step forward, towards the fulfilment of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Digital India initiative, providing uninterrupted internet connectivity to passengers waiting for their train at the stations.
Flanked by Union Minister of State for Labour B. Dattatreya and Nizamabad MP K. Kavitha, Mr. Suresh also flagged off a Diesel Electrical Multiple Unit (DEMU) train service on the Karimnagar-Lingampet Jagityal section, upto Morthad, marking the dawn of the rail era on this unserved stretch.
Giving a broad overview of the ongoing projects in Telangana’s geography, the Railway Minister said an estimated Rs. 17,000 worth of projects were in progress in the youngest State of the country, in SCR’s jurisdiction. Prime focus on safety across the zone apart, the Indian Railway would leave no stone unturned in its endeavour to expand the rail connectivity, he reiterated.
Ms. Kavitha said the Nizamabad-Karimnagar-Peddapalli line was a 20-year-old dream that was on the threshold of becoming a reality and said it was the result of a protracted follow-up of the TRS government and the responsive nature of the Centre that brought the project a step closer to reality, she said.
The extension upto Morthad on Thursday made it a red-lettered day in the region’s history, said Mr. Dattatreya. “Late P.V. Narasimha Rao set the ball rolling, but inadequate funds led to the inordinate delay in the project taking off. In the financial year, the Centre allocated over Rs. 130 crore and in the current fiscal, Rs. 70 crore has been sanctioned. “I am sure it will be completed by end of 2017,” he said.
Other facilities that were thrown open for the convenience of the travelling public include a renovated MMTS booking office on platforms 6 and 7 at Secunderabad station and an additional foot over-bridge at Hyderabad station.
Prominent among others present at Secunderabad station with General Manager Vasisht Johri presiding over the proceedings were Rajya Sabha MP M.A. Khan, Ministers Naini Narsimha Reddy (Home), P. Mahender Reddy (Transport), T. Padma Rao (Excise) and Mayor Bonthu Rammohan.
