HYDERABAD: Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Thursday informed Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw that the state would allot 500 acres near Shamshabad airport for proposed high-speed rail corridors connecting Hyderabad with Chennai (778 km), Bengaluru (586 km) and Pune (556 km).
He suggested that the corridors originate from Sham-shabad, citing the presence of the international airport, and said the Hyderabad–Chennai route should pass through Amaravati, with a link sanctioned from there to Bandar Port to facilitate faster movement of goods from the dry port.
During a meeting with Vaishnaw in Parliament, Revanth said Shamshabad would emerge as a tri-junction if the Bengaluru and Pune corridors were developed near the airport. He urged the Centre to begin land acquisition and start work on the three corridors. Vaishnaw responded positively and assured that work would begin.
Revanth also requested that the Krishna–Vikarabad railway line be taken up fully with central funds, reiterating that the state government was ready to bear the entire land acquisition cost.
Expedite transfer of land for Musi proj: CM
The chief minister said that limestone deposits had been identified at Tekalkode along the route and that efforts were under way to develop the area as a cement and textile manufacturing hub.
He said the government planned to develop Kodangal, Tekalkode and Daulatabad as industrial zones, citing their proximity to cement industries in Karnataka. Revanth also urged Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to transfer 100 acres of land for the Musi Riverfront Development Project and invited him to attend the foundation stone-laying ceremony of the Gandhi Sarovar Project later this month.
During a meeting at South Block on Thursday, the chief minister briefed Singh on the Musi rejuvenation project, stating that it aimed at environmentally sustainable urban development. He said the Gandhi Sarovar Project was being developed at Bapu Ghat, where Mahatma Gandhi’s ashes were immersed in 1948, at the confluence of the Isa and Musi rivers.
He said the project would reflect Gandhi’s ideals of peace, unity, sustainability and simplicity, and would house a national museum, knowledge centre and handloom promotion centre.
Separately, Revanth met Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu and urged him to build the Mamnoor airport at Warangal to international standards. He said land acquisition had already been completed and requested immediate commencement of works.
He also sought cargo services and maintenance, overhaul and repair facilities at the airport. The two leaders discussed Warangal’s development as an industrial hub and the Sammakka–Saralamma tribal fair held biennially near the city.
Revanth said the proposed airport would serve Warangal, Khammam, Nalgonda and Karimnagar districts. He also requested early clearances for the Adilabad airport, stating that the state was ready to provide an additional 249.82 acres. Rammohan Naidu assured him that Airports Authority of India officials would visit the site to initiate works on the Mamnoor airport.
Telangana’s request to Joshi on paddy purchase
Revanth Reddy, along with Civil Supplies Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy, also met Union Minister for Food and Public Distribution Pralhad Joshi and urged him to direct the FCI to purchase 18 lakh metric tonnes of paddy additionally procured by the state government in 2025–26 Kharif season.
The duo informed Joshi that though the state was allowed to procure 53.73 lakh metric tonnes (LMT), it procured an additional 18 LMT of paddy because of a bumper crop in the Kharif season. They requested the Union minister to purchase paddy with 10 per cent discount from the FCI.
The chief minister also requested Joshi to allow additional 10 lakh metric tonnes of boiled rice milling with five per cent broken rice for the 2024–25 Rabi crop. The deadline for custom milling rice for the 2024–25 monsoon season crop has been set for February 28 this year and the Union Minister has been requested to extend it by another two months.