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Why is Konaseema still waiting for its railway line, 26 years on? | Explained

Twenty-six years after its foundation stone was laid, the 57-km Kotipalli-Narsapur railway line in Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Konaseema district is still unbuilt, and the campaign for it has been revived. At a round-table conference in Amalapuram on Tuesday (September 29, 2026), the Konaseema Railway Sadhana Samithi (KRSS) decided to launch a people’s movement, ‘Praja Galam’, and a call for a Konaseema bandh. The meeting was called in response to The Hindu’s Spotlight report of September 18, ‘25 years on, Konaseema Railway Line project yet to get on track’, copies of which were distributed among the participants.

The line was the idea of G.M.C. Balayogi

The line was the idea of G.M.C. Balayogi, India’s first Dalit Lok Sabha Speaker, who was from Amalapuram. On November 16, 2000, the then Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee laid the foundation stone along with Mr. Balayogi for the line in Amalapuram town.

The project was planned in three phases: Kotipalli-Amalapuram

The project was planned in three phases: Kotipalli-Amalapuram (12.70 km), Amalapuram-Chinchinada (33.88 km) and Chinchinada-Narsapur (10 km), with major bridges across the Gouthami, Vynateya and Vasista, according to South Central Railway (SCR) officials. The SCR has completed over 98% of the substructure, including the pillars for the bridges.

Participants hold up copies of The Hindu’s Spotlight

Participants hold up copies of The Hindu’s Spotlight report on the railway project at the meeting in Amalapuram on Tuesday. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

According to Union Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw

According to Union Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw, the sanctioned cost of the project is ₹2,120 crore on a cost-sharing basis, with the Andhra Pradesh government required to provide 25% of the total cost. Over the past 24 years, the State government has deposited only ₹52.69 crore, against a share of about ₹530 crore; the Ministry of Railways had spent ₹1,181.19 crore by March 2024.

K. Sridhar, Deputy Chief Engineer of the South

K. Sridhar, Deputy Chief Engineer of the South Central Railway, said: “The State government has committed to handing over 238 hectares of land free of cost. We are waiting to proceed with the next phase of work once the State government hands over the land.”

Campaigners put the blame on the State. “The

Campaigners put the blame on the State. “The State government is to be blamed for the delay in execution of the railway project,” said B.N.S. Murthy, BJP Amalapuram Assembly Constituency in-charge and KRSS Steering Committee member. The Ministry of Railways had already released its share, and the State had failed to complete land acquisition and build the three bridges across the Godavari, he said.

Students at the Konaseema Railway Sadhana Samithi meeting

Students at the Konaseema Railway Sadhana Samithi meeting in Amalapuram on Tuesday called for an online campaign for the railway line. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

KRSS Convenor E.R. Subramanyam said: “Nearly 150 bus

KRSS Convenor E.R. Subramanyam said: “Nearly 150 bus services are being operated daily from various towns in the Konaseema region to major cities, Vijayawada and Hyderabad, with a steep hike in fare, which is three times more than the train fare. Absence of rail connectivity has hit the export of coconut and its export potential.”

Ambajipeta Coconut Copra Merchants Association President Srinu said

Ambajipeta Coconut Copra Merchants Association President Srinu said the cost of transporting copra could be halved if the Kotipalli-Amalapuram section were commissioned. Copra merchants now take their produce to the Rajamahendravaram railway station, where it is loaded onto wagons for export.

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Why is Konaseema still waiting for its railway line, 26 years on? | Explained

Twenty-six years after its foundation stone was laid, the 57-km Kotipalli-Narsapur railway line in Dr.

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Source: The Hindu
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