Cabinet booster for NDA allies, Rs 6.7K-cr rail projects for Bihar & Andhra get nod
The Cabinet on Thursday cleared two significant railway projects, both demanded by key ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) allies JD(U) and TDP.
The first railway project involving the doubling of Narkatiaganj-Raxaul-Sitamarhi-Darbhanga and Sitamarhi-Muzaffarpur section had been sought by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Kumar had written to Modi last month, seeking connectivity between Ayodhya and Sitamarhi, both key segments of the Ramayana circuit. Thanking Modi for the project, Kumar said the decision of doubling the railway line connecting Ayodhya with the birthplace of Sita in Sitamarhi was a welcome one, as it would provide connectivity to pilgrims and tourists to travel between the two places. The section is 256 km long and will entail a cost of Rs 4,553 crore.
The second rail project cleared today involves the construction of a new line between Errupalem and Namburu via Amaravati, covering 57 km, in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The project will benefit Andhra Pradesh, where TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu is the Chief Minister and who is also a key ally of the NDA government.
The combined cost of both the railway projects is Rs 6,798 crore, and these will help in enhancing the rail infrastructure in Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Naidu also welcomed the Cabinet approval.
The doubling of Narkatiaganj-Raxaul-Sitamarhi-Darbhanga & Sitamarhi-Muzaffarpur Section will strengthen the connectivity to Nepal, the Northeast and frontier areas and also facilitate movement of passenger and goods trains, resulting in the socio-economic growth of the region.
The new rail line project Errupalem-Amaravati-Namburu will traverse through NTR Vijayawada and Guntur districts of Andhra Pradesh and Khammam district of Telangana. The two projects cover eight districts in three states — Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Bihar — and will increase the existing Railways network by 313 km.
The projects will be completed in five years to provide connectivity, facilitate ease of travelling, minimise logistics cost, reduce oil imports and lower carbon emissions, sources said. Importantly, the BJP is in power at the Centre with the support of key NDA allies JD(U) and TDP which make up the numbers needed for a simple majority in the Lok Sabha. The allies have been seeking of the BJP economic packages in varied ways.
