The Nizam State Railway was taken over by the centre in which of the following years?

Correct option is B

The correct answer is (B) 1950

Explanation:
• The Nizam's Guaranteed State Railway (NGSR) was a railway company owned by the Princely State of Hyderabad under the Nizam.
• Following the integration of Hyderabad into the Union of India (Operation Polo, 1948), the process of merging various state-owned railways began.
• In 1950, the Nizam State Railway was formally taken over by the Central Government of India.
• It was later integrated into the Central Railway zone in 1951/1952.

Information Booster:
• Foundation: The railway started in 1873 with the Secunderabad–Wadi line, funded by the Nizam.
• Unique Status: It was one of the largest and most profitable princely state-owned railway systems in colonial India.
• Integration: Most of its network now falls under the South Central Railway zone (HQ: Secunderabad).

Additional Knowledge:
• 1952 (Option A): This year is significant for the formal creation of the six original railway zones of Indian Railways.
• 1956 (Option C): This was the year of the States Reorganisation Act, which changed administrative boundaries but the railway nationalization/takeover had already occurred.
• 1954 (Option D): By this time, the railway was already functioning as part of the centralized Indian Railways system.