Beed, Sep 17 : Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday inaugurated the new Amalner-Beed railway line at Beed and flagged off the Beed to Ahilyanagar train.

'The commencement of the railway in Beed after decades of anticipation is a moment of dream fulfilment for the people. The late Gopinathrao Munde and former MP Kesharkaku Kshirsagar had envisioned this railway. In particular, the late Gopinathrao Munde struggled greatly to realise the dream of Beed's railway. Today, the late Gopinathrao Munde's dream has been realised, and this railway is a true tribute to him,' he said at a function.

The programme was attended by Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, who is the Beed district guardian minister, and environment minister Pankaja Munde, among others.

'September 17 is Marathwada Liberation Day, and on this day, which also marks Prime Minister Narendra Modi's birthday, this historic railway project is being dedicated to the service of citizens of Beed, making today a special day,' he expressed.

'After 2014, the central and state governments jointly provided funds to accelerate this project. In the last 10 years, the Modi government allocated Rs 21,000 crore for railway projects in Marathwada, whereas in the previous 10 years, only Rs 450 crore was received. Today, due to this strategic support, the railway dream of the people of Beed and Marathwada is being fulfilled. The arrival of the railway is not just about the train arriving; it is a channel through which development flows,' said the chief minister.

CM Fadnavis said that 23 TMC of water allocated to Marathwada has been brought to Ashti. Now, work will begin to bring 36 TMC of floodwater from the Krishna basin to Ujani and from there to Marathwada. Additionally, 54 TMC of water from the Ulhas basin will be brought to the Godavari basin to create a water network in Marathwada. Through this, he expressed his resolve to make drought in Marathwada a thing of the past.

/IANS