(a) the vacant railway land lying unused in the State of Andhra Pradesh as on date;
(b) the location and size of the vacant-land;
(c) the time from which the said land is lying vacant; and
(d) the proposals prepared/proposed to be prepared for the utilisation of the vacant land?
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS
(SHRI RAJEN GOHAIN)
(a) to (d): A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.
STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (d) OF UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4293 BY SHRI M. RAJA MOHAN REDDY TO BE ANSWERED IN LOK SABHA ON 21.03.2018 REGARDING UNUSED LAND.
(a) to (d): Railways maintain only Zonal Railways-wise details of vacant railway land. State of Andhra Pradesh falls in East Coast Railway, Southern Railway, South Central Railway and South Western Railway of Indian Railways. Presently 11580 hectares of land (approximately) is vacant in these Zonal Railways.
The vacant land, mostly in the form of narrow strips along the tracks, is used for servicing and maintenance of track, bridges and other railway infrastructure. The vacant land is also utilized for execution of various infrastructural projects for meeting future growth needs of Railways which include projects like doubling/tripling and traffic facilities works, etc. Railway`s operations also necessarily require development of ancillary logistic support/infrastructure such as bulk oil installations & oil depots, steel yards, concrete sleeper plants, coal dumps, connectivity to private sidings, connectivity to ports and other infrastructure, commercial plots, vending stalls, etc. for which land is leased/licensed. The vacant land, which is not required by Railways for its immediate operational needs, is utilized in the interim period for commercial development through Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA), wherever feasible, in order to mobilize additional financial resources. At present, 54 land parcels measuring 189 hectare (approximately) where commercial development seems feasible have been entrusted to RLDA which includes 0.83 hectares of land in Andhra Pradesh. The land is lying vacant since the inception of Railway lines in these four Zonal Railways.
*****