Union govt draws criticism for scrapping Adilabad-Gadchandur railway line
Indian Railways has sanctioned a Rs 493-crore railway line between Mukutban and Gadchandur in Maharashtra to boost freight connectivity and industrial growth. The project, however, has disappointed people in Adilabad, who had sought a direct rail link via Bela and Jainath
Adilabad: A 38-km-long new railway line has been sanctioned between Mukutban and Gadchandur in Maharashtra, leaving people in the district disappointed. The Ministry of Railways approved the Rs 493-crore line on Friday, aimed at boosting freight traffic, easing congestion and supporting industrial growth.
According to a statement issued by Indian Railways, the new line will be constructed between Mukutban in Yavatmal district, located near Adilabad town, and Gadchandur in Chandrapur district under the South Central Railway. The project aims to strengthen connectivity to key industrial and mining hubs, including cement plants, coal mines of Western Coalfields Ltd and nearby limestone deposits.
The line will provide a shorter and more efficient route, reducing travel distance and costs between Mukutban and Gadchandur, while decongesting the busy Wardha-Manikgarh-Balharshah-Nagpur corridors. According to the detailed project report, the line is expected to handle 6.08 million tonnes of freight traffic, including coal, cement, steel, fertilisers and foodgrains. Two MEMU passenger services will also be operated in each direction daily.
The project will facilitate smooth freight movement towards Maharashtra and Karnataka by linking industrial clusters directly to the Majri-Nanded route. It will boost regional economic and industrial development, besides reducing the travel distance by 50 km between Adilabad district and Kagaznagar, Bellampalli, Mancherial, Ramagundam and Peddapalli towns.
However, the new line has dashed the hopes of people in the district, who had been demanding the creation of a railway line between Adilabad and Gadchandur via Bela and Jainath for quite some time. They had pinned their hopes on the Union government, as the line, they said, would have drastically reduced the distance between Adilabad and Mancherial.
People criticised the Centre over sanctioning the new line for Maharashtra instead of the much-demanded Adilabad-Gadchandur railway project. They argued that while the new project was named after Adilabad-Gadchandur, it would be more beneficial to the neighbouring state than Telangana.
