BRS to press center for Kazipet Railway Manufacturing unit’s progress

In its representation, the BRS delegation will also raise demands for a separate railway division for Warangal and priority for Telangana natives in railway recruitment.

Hyderabad: The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) is all set to intensify efforts to push for the long-pending Railway Manufacturing Unit at Kazipet, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi 15 months ago but which has made no tangible progress. A delegation led by Rajya Sabha MP Vaddiraju Ravichandra and former MLA Dasyam Vinay Bhaskar will meet union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in Delhi over the next two days to submit a representation.

In response to a news report published in these columns, BRS working prsident KT Rama Rao discussed the matter with former MLA Dasyam Vinay Bhaskar and asked him to pursue the issue further. Accordingly, MP Ravichandra sought the appointment of the union Railway Minister on Monday. The delegation from Warangal has already left for Delhi.

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In its representation, the BRS delegation will also raise demands for a separate railway division for Warangal and priority for Telangana natives in railway recruitment.

“A railway division in Warangal is a longstanding demand that has been repeatedly ignored by the Centre. Additionally, many railway posts in Telangana are being filled with candidates from North India, sidelining local aspirants,” Vinay Bhaskar told Telangana Today.

The demand for the Kazipet facility dates back to 1982. A coach factory proposed then was shifted to Punjab under PV Narasimha Rao’s tenure. Later, in 2010-11, a wagon factory was announced under Mamata Banerjee but never materialised due to land disputes. The factory was also part of the clauses of the AP Reorganisation Act of 2014.

With the previous BRS government relentlessly pursuing the matter, Modi laid the foundation stone in July 2023 and directed South Central Railways (SCR) and Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) to initiate work. However, for reasons best known to Railway authorities, no visible progress has been made. The Railway Board claims to have written to SCR and RVNL in September 2024, but three months later, the project still remains on paper.

The Telangana government had earlier acquired 150 acres for the unit and handed it over to the Railways. With no significant progress over decades, the Kazipet railway unit remains a symbol of unfulfilled promises.