South Central Railway revives decade-old Rail Over Bridge project in Guntur
Guntur: In a big relief to the commuters, the
South Central Railway
(SCR) authorities have finalised the tenders to resume works on Rail Over Bridge (ROB) on
Guntur-Nandivelugu-Tenali road
in Guntur city. This prestigious road infrastructure project commenced about a decade ago, but was abruptly stalled due to financial constraints almost five years ago.Taking local legislator
Mohammed Naseer
's request into consideration, union rural development and communications junior minister Dr Pemmasani Chandrasekhar held several rounds of discussions with Aswani Vaishnaw, Union railway minister, and got the project cleared.
The project was originally expected to cost Rs 17 crore of which railways agreed to bear Rs 6 crore and state govt Rs 11 crore during the 2014-19 period. While the railway department completed major part of its work as per schedule, the works initiated with the state govt funds progressed at snail's pace.
After YSRCP came into power, the state govt refused to release funds due to financial constraints. The half completed RoB has turned out to be a menace to commuters as service roads were left unattended for the past five years. Vegetable sellers from Tenali region have been struggling a lot to transport their produce to wholesale market in Guntur as this road connects several villages in Ponnur and Tenali constituencies with Guntur. Setting his focus on building better infrastructure in Guntur Lok Sabha constituency, Union minister Dr Pemmasani prevailed upon the Ashwani Vaishnaw to shoulder the entire burden and complete the project given the state's precarious financial condition. He explained that manned railway gate could be removed once the RoB is completed. He said that train traffic has increased following the completion of the Guntur-Tenali doubling railway track and electrification of the line resulting in frequent traffic congestion in Guntur city due to the closure of the railway gate. Subsequently, the railways got the estimates revised to Rs 18 crore and sent it for approval from the railway board. With union minister Pemmasani's continuous follow-up in New Delhi, the railway minister agreed to take up the ROB with allocation from the railway budget. A senior engineering official, Suryanarayana recently inspected the project site and set the stage ready for resumption of the works.
Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with
Mother's Day wishes
,
messages
, and
quotes
!
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hans India
26 minutes ago
- Hans India
No demolition threat to slums in Delhi: CM Rekha Gupta
Countering rumours of impending demolition of many slums in the national capital, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Sunday hit out at the previous Aam Aadmi Party and Congress governments for treating residents of these colonies as vote banks and depriving them of basic amenities. Speaking after inaugurating a toilet block in a slum in Haiderpur, CM Gupta assured that no slum will be demolished without first providing permanent housing to its residents. She said that FIRs will be filed and strict action will be taken against those spreading false information about demolitions. She clarified that most anti-encroachment actions are being carried out in compliance with court orders and are targeting illegal occupations that are obstructing traffic or hindering public movement. Talking about slum demolition near Jangpura, she said the action was ordered by the Delhi High Court. "Wherever there are orders of the Court, neither the government nor the administration can do anything. Today, the reality of Madrasi Colony is that it is settled on the banks of the Barapullah drain, and the Court has repeated almost four times that these jhuggis (informal settlements) must be removed so that machines can reach there and cleaning can be done. Otherwise, there are chances of floods in Delhi like in 2023..." she added. The Chief Minister said the previous Arvind Kejriwal government and Sheila Dikshit government did not do any development for residents of slum clusters in Delhi. "The BJP government in Delhi is spending Rs 700 crore on various projects," she added. The Chief Minister emphasised that every slum resident deserves to live with dignity. "It is our responsibility to ensure that they enjoy the same facilities as other citizens of the city," she said. The government's goal is not just redevelopment but also improvement in the standard of living of slum dwellers, she added. On Sunday, she also inaugurated and inspected various development projects in Nehru Camp in Haiderpur, Ekta Camp in Pitampura, and the area near U and V Blocks of JJ Cluster in the Shalimar Bagh Assembly constituency. The Chief Minister also reviewed key works such as laying of pipelines and construction of new roads in these areas. She also announced that a clean and safe parks with swings will be developed especially for the children of slum areas in the city. CM Gupta reiterated her government's commitment to ensuring that every resident of Delhi's slums has access to basic amenities such as clean water, proper roads, public toilets, and parks, so that no citizen is left behind in the journey of development. On this occasion, the Chief Minister inaugurated the construction work of a 24-seater Jan Suvidha Kendra (public convenience centre) at JJ Cluster, Outer Ring Road, No. 26, Nehru Camp in Haiderpur. She said that this Jan Suvidha Kendra will address the long-standing issue of toilet shortage in the area and will particularly benefit women, senior citizens, and children by providing clean and safe facilities.
The Print
an hour ago
- The Print
‘Freeze seats or increase proportionately': Andhra CM Naidu limits Modi govt's delimitation options
'And if you increase the seats (total seats in the Lok Sabha), increase it proportionately (for the states),' Naidu said in an exclusive interview with ThePrint Saturday. New Delhi: Go for delimitation but don't change the existing number of Lok Sabha seats that every state has, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has said, virtually constricting the scope of census-based re-allocation of Lok Sabha seats to states. His Telugu Desam Party (TDP) with 16 Lok Sabha MPs is crucial to the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre. The ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has 293 MPs, 21 more than the majority mark. Naidu's stance would have a strong bearing on how the Modi government goes about the delimitation exercise. The two options given by Naidu diminish the possibility of population-based redrawing of Lok Sabha constituencies—a sore issue for the southern states. They argue that re-allocation of seats on the basis of population would bring down their representation in the Lok Sabha, which, they say, amounts to punishing them for controlling their population. Tamil Nadu CM M.K. Stalin has alleged that there is a 'sinister design' in the way the Modi government at the Centre is going about conducting the census and subsequent delimitation. He said the states that ignored population control would be rewarded with additional seats, which would distort the federal structure. 'Indian population is reducing. If they go for delimitation, heartburn will be there. You can go (for delimitation), (but) don't change the number (of seats). Freeze the number, then go for delimitation,' Naidu told ThePrint. 'If you increase (Lok Sabha seats), increase proportionately. Otherwise, there will be heartburn. Sentiments are involved,' the Andhra CM added. Explaining further, he said that if Lok Sabha constituencies are reconfigured population-wise, it should be done 'within the state'. For instance, if there are 25 Lok Sabha seats in Andhra Pradesh and 39 in Tamil Nadu, these numbers should remain the same even if constituencies are redrawn population-wise. Naidu has no issues even if the Centre chooses to increase the overall strength of the Lok Sabha from 543 to 848 or so. '543 or more depends on policymakers. Increase but proportionately,' he said. For instance, if Tamil Nadu with 39 seats has 7.18 per cent share of the Lok Sabha, it should have the same percentage of the overall seats even after they are increased. The Centre is set to issue a notification for the 2027 census next week and the delimitation exercise is likely to be started after the final population count. Union Home Minister Amit Shah has maintained that concerns of the southern states will be taken care of, but the Centre has been equivocal about whether the population-based delimitation would keep the states' shares in the Lok Sabha—in terms of numbers or proportionate representation—the same. (Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui) Also Read: Delimitation freeze gave us time, but now India's democracy faces a ticking time bomb
The Print
an hour ago
- The Print
Modi says no caste in India then calls himself OBC: Rahul attacks PM citing caste census move
'Narendra Modi used to say in every speech, I am OBC. Then, on the caste census, they say that there is no caste in India. If there is no caste in India, then how did Narendra Modi become an OBC? My goal is to conduct a caste census. I had said this to Narendra Modi face to face in Lok Sabha – there will be a caste census, and you know he has a habit of surrendering,' Rahul Gandhi posted on Congress X handle. He questioned PM Modi's claim of being an OBC while asserting that the BJP denies the existence of caste in India, emphasising the need for a genuine caste census. Patna : Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi attended the 'Samvidhan Sabha' in Rajgir, Nalanda, on Friday. Addressing the gathering, Gandhi emphasised the need for a caste census and criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's stance on the issue. Rahul Gandhi emphasised the importance of conducting a caste census, asserting that it would reveal the country's actual social and economic dynamics. Gandhi stressed that a genuine caste census would undermine the current political landscape, particularly for the ruling party. He mentioned US President Donald Trump's claim that he had made Narendra Modi surrender, suggesting that Modi's silence on the issue was telling. 'My aim is caste census. In Lok Sabha, in front of Modi ji, I told him that caste census would be conducted. And you know he has a habit of surrendering. Trump has said 11 times in public that he made Narendra Modi surrender. But Narendra Modi ji cannot utter a word because it is the truth…They will never get a genuine caste census done because the day they get it done, their politics will end…,' said the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha. He highlighted two models – the BJP's closed-door approach and Telangana's inclusive method, which involved public input. 'There are two models of caste census- A BJP model and second Telangana model. In the BJP model, officers decided the questions in a closed room, 90% of which had no one. The most important thing in the caste census is which questions are being asked. At the same time, we openly asked questions from the public in Telangana. We told the Dalits, backward classes, tribals, minorities and their associations that we are going to conduct a caste census – what kind of questions do you want? People from every section gave us different kinds of questions. About 3 lakh people have prepared questions for caste census in open meetings,' he posted from Congress X handle. The central government on Wednesday announced that the Population Census-2027 will be conducted in two phases and will also include the enumeration of castes. Opposition parties accused the government of further delaying the nationwide enumeration exercise. According to the MHA statement, the reference date for the 'Population Census-2027 will be 00:00 hours on March 1, 2027, for most parts of the country. 'However, for the Union Territory of Ladakh, and the non-synchronous snow-bound areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, the reference date will be 00:00 hours on October 1, 2026.' The government has also indicated that a notification of intent to conduct the census, adhering to the timelines mentioned above, will be published in the Official Gazette on June 16, 2025. This will be done under Section 3 of the Census Act, 1948, which governs the legal framework for the decennial census exercise in India. The 2021 census was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Census 2027 is slated to be one of the most comprehensive data-gathering exercises undertaken by the Indian government. The Census of India was conducted under the provisions of the Census Act of 1948 and the Census Rules of 1990. The last Census of India was conducted in 2011 in two phases, namely i) Phase I – House Listing (HLO) (1 April to 30 September 2010) and (ii) Phase II – Population Enumeration (PE) (February 9 to February 28, 2011) with reference date – 00:00 hours of the first day of March 2011, except for snow-bound non-synchronous areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh for which it was conducted during September 11 to 30, 2010 with reference date as 00.00 hours of the first day of October 2010. Census 2021 was also proposed to be conducted in two phases similarly, with phase I during April-September 2020 and the second phase in February 2021. All the preparations for the first phase of the Census to be conducted in 2021 were completed, and field work was scheduled to begin in some States/UTs from April 1, 2020. However, due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic across the country, the census work was postponed. Earlier today, Rahul Gandhi, who arrived in Gaya, visited the Dashrath Manjhi Memorial, accompanied by members of Manjhi's family. As part of his visit, he will attend various events in the region. The Mountain Man lived in Gehlaur village, near Gaya. As per the Bihar Government, Manjhi carved a path 110 m long (360 ft), 9.1 m (30 ft) wide and 7.7 m (25 ft) deep through a ridge of hills using only a hammer and chisel. After 22 years of work, Dashrath shortened the travel between the Atri and Wazirganj blocks of Gaya town from 55 km to 15 km. He breathed his last on August 17, 2007, at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi. The Government of Bihar gave him a state funeral, proposed his name for the Padma Shri award in 2006 in the social service sector and released a stamp by the India Post in the 'Personalities of Bihar' series on December 26, 2016. This report is auto-generated from ANI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content. Also read: How Modi govt's Caste census move has opened fault-lines within BJP
