Demand is picking up to complete work on the 136-km Armoor, Nirmal and Adilabad (ANA) railway line is fast picking up. Those supporting the ANA line want it delinked it from the Patancheru (Nagalapalli) to Adilabad line that was only recently announced in the Union Budget.The ANA line is likely to reduce travel time by up to four hours between Hyderabad and Delhi. Its supporters say the line has the potential to transform the agrarian landscape of backward districts of north Telangana by addressing logistical bottlenecks, reducing costs, and enabling farmers to command better price for their produce.The tentative survey for the ANA line was completed in 2010-11 but the railways did not sanction funds in the last 13 years. The project failed to move ahead due to a combination of political, economic, and administrative reasons.Instead, the previous Union Budget mentioned a survey for a line from Patancheru to Adilabad via Sangareddy, Bodhan, Banswada, Nizamabad, Armoor and Nirmal. This is likely to take considerable time as the survey needs to be taken up first.The people of Adilabad and Nirmal districts have been demanding rail connectivity for more than five decades. They commute to Hyderabad for various needs, but the only existing railway line passes through Maharashtra.Talking to Deccan Chronicle, BJP floor leader and Nirmal MLA Aleti Maheshwar Reddy said that the Centre had released a detailed project report as the Narendra Modi government had taken up the ANA line on the priority basis. He said that the ANA line would improve connectivity between northern Telangana and central India, boosting trade and local economies. Reddy pointed out that its final location survey has been sanctioned. The railways intends to connect important locations like Armoor, Nirmal and Adilabad on the Patancheru-Adilabad route. The line will serve as a key link for passenger and freight movement, boosting agriculture, business, education, and tourism in the region, he said.Mahender Reddy, a government employee and resident of Nirmal, who regularly commutes to Armoor, pointed out that only Krishna Express connects Hyderabad with Adilabad. It takes a lot of time as it passes through Maharashtra from Poorna.A prominent businessman of the region, Polishetty Laxman, said that the local framers, who are into cotton, pulses, millet crops, maize, paddy and soybean, will get access to national and global markets with the ANA line. The farmers can negotiate better prices without relying on intermediaries who often exploit their lack of transportation options. It would also boost allied sectors like dairy and poultry, he said.
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