ADILABAD: The long-pending proposal for a railway line connecting Adilabad and Armoor via Nirmal is likely to move forward, with Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw indicating that the Detailed Project Report (DPR) could be approved after incorporating fresh inputs.
Adilabad MP Godam Nagesh, Nirmal MLA and Assembly floor leader A Maheshwar Reddy, along with other leaders, met the Union minister in New Delhi and submitted a memorandum seeking approval for the 136-km railway line.
Speaking to the TNIE, Nagesh said the DPR submitted after last year’s survey failed to adequately capture the region’s industrial and business potential, making the project financially unviable under the Financial Internal Rate of Return (FIRR) criteria.
He said the delegation highlighted upcoming developments, including the proposed joint-use airport by the Airports Authority of India and the Defence Ministry, an industrial corridor, the upcoming Renuka Cement plant, Deccan Cements, and the district’s cotton and spinning industries.
After hearing the representations, Vaishnaw assured the delegation that these factors would be incorporated into the DPR to improve the project’s viability and facilitate early approval. The project is estimated to cost `4,398 crore.
The railway line was first announced in the 2010-11 Union Budget under the UPA government.
Although the Centre later proposed a 50:50 cost-sharing model with the state in 2016-17, the project stalled after the then BRS government did not enter into a joint venture agreement.