The Obulavaripalle-Krishnapuram Port broad gauge railway line connectivity work in Kadapa district would be completed by December next, said Union Minister for Urban Development M. Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday.

The work on the 262-metre-long first tunnel had been completed and 56 per cent of the work was completed on the 3,063 metre-long second tunnel which was progressing briskly, said Mr. Naidu after inspecting the railway line and tunnel work near Cherlopalle in Chitvel mandal in Kadapa district, along with Union Minister for Human Resources Prakash Javadekar. Completion of the rail and road connectivity between Obulavaripalle and Krishnapatnam port was his long cherished goal, Mr. Naidu said.

Recalling that the project was sanctioned in 2006 by then Union Railway Minister Nitish Kumar, Mr. Venkaiah Naidu said it progressed at a snail’s pace for want of funds. Work picked up pace in 2014 he said and lauded the Rail Vikas Nigam Limited engineers and officials for it.

An outlay of Rs. 1,168 crore was spent so far on the railway project, undertaken with an estimate of Rs, 1,646 crore, he said. With an estimate of Rs. 47 crore per km., it was a low-cost project. While 1,900 acres was acquired, clearance was accorded for 325 acres of forest land, he said. Earth work would be completed by February 2017 and tunnel work by July 2017 and the cement lining work would be taken up from March to October, he said.

The area would develop with the rail connectivity and development of internal roads. Development would be easy where facilities such as roads, railways, flight and power were available, he said.

Mr. Venkaiah Naidu said a special task force had been constituted to examine the viability of establishing an integrated steel plant in Kadapa and the Government would take an appropriate decision on getting the task force report. Union Minister Prakash Javadekar, Minister for Municipal Administration P. Narayana, RVNL Managing Director Satish Agnihotri, Kadapa Joint Collector Swetha Teotia, BJP national executive member Suresh Naidu and TDP leader of Railway Kodur K. Viswanatha Naidu were present.