He is the person the Godavari districts owe their lives to. His projects alone converted a large, nondescript area ravaged by famines, to the rice bowl of India and one of the most fertile agricultural lands in the country!!
Interestingly, Sir Cotton helmed another railway project in the Madras Presidency. This was a railway line about 6 miles long on the east coast of the Godavari river near Rajahmundry, during the construction of the Anicut on the Godavari. Not only is this the second documented use of railways in the country, but it was also the first double line railway in the country, having been constructed around 1844.
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more... Alas! His love for India and his favorable attitude towards the Indian people, placed him in a bad position with his superiors who tried to impeach him several times. Despite all this and several health issues, he returned to India and lightened up the lives of several million people with his engineering works.