Revanth seeks 100 acres of defence land for Musi project

Hyderabad: Chief minister A Revanth Reddy on Thursday pitched key infrastructure proposals before the Centre, seeking 100 acres of defence land for the Musi rejuvenation project and pressing for new railway lines, high-speed rail corridors and airport expansion in Telangana.During meetings with Union ministers Rajnath Singh, Ashwini Vaishnaw and Rammohan Naidu in Delhi, the CM raised issues ranging from defence land transfer and railway connectivity to airport development and other pending projects. Revanth urged defence minister Rajnath to transfer around 100 acres at Langar Houz and surrounding Bapu Ghat areas to facilitate the Musi rejuvenation project, which is being taken up with financial assistance from the Asian Development Bank. The foundation stone for the project is planned to be laid at Bapu Ghat in the last week of Feb. The CM said Bapu Ghat, where Mahatma Gandhi's ashes were immersed in 1948, would house the Gandhi Sarovar project, envisioned as a world class educational, cultural, spiritual and environmental centre at the confluence of the Esa and Musi rivers. The project will reflect Gandhi's ideals of peace, unity, sustainable development and simple living. Proposed features include a peace symbol, national museum, knowledge centre and handloom promotion centre. Rail connectivity push Revanth also met railway minister Vaishnaw and sought central funding for the Krishna-Vikarabad railway line, assuring that the state would provide the required land. He said limestone deposits were identified in Tekalkode in Kodangal constituency and that the govt plans to develop a cement and textile hub in Kodangal and Daultabad, which border Karnataka. "The state govt was ready to provide 500 acres of land near Shamshabad for high-speed railway corridor projects, including Hyderabad-Chennai, Hyderabad-Bengaluru and Hyderabad-Pune. The high-speed trains should start from Shamshabad, which will become a tri-junction. Since Hyderabad-Chennai passes through Amaravati, the Centre should sanction a railway line to Bandaru port, which will help dry port connectivity to Bandaru," the CM explained. The Union ministers responded positively to the CM's requests, the govt said.Airport expansion plans In a separate meeting with civil aviation minister Naidu, Revanth pressed for early commencement of work at the Warangal (Mamunur) airport. He sought cargo services and maintenance and overhaul facilities alongside airport development. The state has completed land acquisition and recently handed over relevant documents to the Centre. The CM noted that the airport would serve Warangal as well as Karimnagar and Nalgonda, and highlighted that the Sammakka-Sarakka jatara, described as Asia's biggest feast, is held there biennially. The Union minister assured that Airports Authority of India officials would visit Warangal to take the proposal forward, officials said. Revanth also sought a survey and feasibility study for Kothagudem airport at Palvancha and requested permissions for alternative land identified at Anthargaon. On Adilabad airport, he informed the minister that an additional 249 acres of land is available for development.