Setting its own impressive rhetoric aside, the State government took two long years for giving administrative sanction of Rs 120 crore towards a part of cost sharing for the doubling and electrification of Vijayawada-Gudivada-Narsapur-Bhimavaram-Machilipatnam and Guntur-Tenali branch lines.
It was way back in April 2013 when the then Minister of State for Railways Kotla Suryaprakash Reddy had laid foundation stone for the first project. The two projects were estimated to cost Rs 1,140 crore. Fifty per cent of it is to be borne by the government and the balance by Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL). It has issued orders for releasing Rs 120 crore for Vijayawada-Gudivada-Narsapur-Bhimavaram-Machilipatnam (Rs 100 crore) and Guntur-Tenali (Rs 20 crore) sections on May 27 against its total contribution of Rs 570 crore.
The Railway Board has sought Rs 250 crore to be deposited with it for speedy execution of the first project but the State could release Rs 100 crore apparently due to the financial constraints faced by it.
Vijayawada Railway Station Users’ Consultative Committee member Naraharisetti Srihari told The Hindu said speedy implementation of Vijayawada-Gudivada-
Narsapur-Bhimavaram-Masula line doubling would be extremely useful for the thriving aquaculture business in West Godavari district as the farmers could quickly export their produce to Chennai and Visakhapatnam.
For the passengers, the doubling results in decongestion of traffic by bringing down the waiting time at crossings and more trains could be operated in the due course.
The doubling with electrification of 175 km-long line was included in the 2011-2012 Union Budget and the State had agreed to share 50 per cent of the project cost.
The line which is considered a vital coastal railway link supplementing the Vijayawada-Visakhapatnam main line covers 51 stations. Doubling will facilitate introduction of new trains and augmenting the existing services.
