Amaravati, Feb 10 (IANS) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, on Tuesday, sought the completion of ongoing railway projects and sanction of new railway lines for the state.

The Chief Minister met the Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in New Delhi and submitted a detailed memorandum.

He also sought introduction of additional train services in Andhra Pradesh.

During the meeting, Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu referred to the high-speed railway corridors announced in the recent Union Budget, including Hyderabad–Bengaluru, Hyderabad–Chennai and Chennai–Bengaluru corridors.

According to an official statement here, the Chief Minister thanked the Union government for announcing three high speed railway corridors touching Andhra Pradesh.

Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu requested that the Bengaluru–Chennai high-speed rail corridor be extended to connect Tirupati, strengthening connectivity to the major pilgrimage city.

He also sought the Union Railway Minister Vaishnaw to issue a gazette notification to commence operations of the South Coastal Railway Zone from April 1.

Highlighting the need to support agricultural exports, the Chief Minister sought allocation of empty reefer containers at a 50 per cent concessional rate to facilitate banana exports from Tadipatri to Mumbai Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority.

Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu requested the establishment of greenfield mega terminals at Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, Tirupati and Amaravati.

To improve freight movement between North and South India, he sought cooperation for setting up a dedicated freight corridor between Itarsi and Vijayawada.

He also proposed the East Coast Freight Corridor between Kharagpur and Chennai via Vijayawada, linking major ports in Andhra Pradesh.

The Chief Minister requested approval of proposals for several new railway lines to improve connectivity in Rayalaseema and tribal regions across the state.

He also requested sanction of a high-speed rail link between Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada, a semi high speed corridor between Vijayawada and Kurnool, and a high-speed link corridor between Tirupati and Chittoor.

To enhance connectivity to major pilgrimage centres, Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu sought approval for a new railway line connecting Hyderabad, Srisailam and Markapur.

The Chief Minister also requested operation of a Vande Bharat train service between Vijayawada and Bengaluru via Tirupati.

Additionally, he requested the Union Railway Minister to provide stoppage for various express trains at Kuppam and to establish a railway coach maintenance terminal in the region.

Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu also met Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan in New Delhi and held detailed discussions on strengthening agriculture and allied sectors in Andhra Pradesh.

He informed the Union Minister Chouhan that Andhra Pradesh has achieved a 2.28 per cent reduction in chemical fertiliser usage during the 2024–25 agricultural year.

He also said that the state government is aggressively promoting organic and natural farming, with 18 lakh farmers having already given consent to adopt organic farming practices across nearly eight lakh hectares.

Highlighting the state’s flagship Community Managed Natural Farming programme, the Chief Minister requested the release of funds under the Prime Minister’s Programme for Restoration, Awareness Generation, Nourishment, and Amelioration of Mother-Earth (PM-PRANAM) scheme to expand the initiative further.

He also urged the Centre to extend PM-PRANAM incentives for reduced chemical usage and sought the release of Rs 216 crore pertaining to the year 2024–25.

Seeking focused support for the coconut sector, the Chief Minister requested central assistance of Rs 200 crore for the development of coconut cultivation in Andhra Pradesh.

He proposed the establishment of coconut processing parks, modern tender coconut markets on the Karnataka model, training programmes for coconut farmers on advanced cultivation practices, and expansion of nurseries.

He noted that these initiatives would significantly benefit coconut farmers and generate employment for nearly 15,000 people.

The Chief Minister also urged Union Minister Vaishnaw to release Rs 695 crore pending under the Per Drop More Crop scheme.

–IANS

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