The South Coast Railway Zone, which was announced as the center of Visakhapatnam, is facing obstacles even after Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation. The behavior of the East Coast Zone officials regarding the railway zone works is becoming a problem. Pisces and Aries are being counted in gazette notifications regarding the zone.
Prime Minister Modi laid the foundation stone for the railway zone with Visakhapatnam as the center on January 8 this year as per the AP Reorganization Act. Those who were expecting the railway zone work, which has been postponed for a decade, to move forward quickly are now disappointed. Obstacles are being created at every step.
Tenders were called for Rs. 149 crore for the construction of the railway zone building. When the contractor started the work there, disputes started. Some tribals blocked the work, claiming that the land was theirs. However, the officials confirmed that they had no rights to the land.
In addition to technical reasons, the work is being delayed due to objections from the Odisha authorities. With the demand to include Kothavalasa in Rayagada division, the zonal office work has come to a halt again. This issue is becoming a test for the coalition leaders in AP. The central government decision is becoming crucial.
In reality, when a new zone is established in the railways, an official gazette has to be issued regarding it. The work will be started only after the gazette is issued for all the zones, clarifying the details like the zone scope, boundaries, and operation date. However, the gazette notification has not been issued for the South Coast Zone in Visakhapatnam so far.
No one has questioned it for 3 months. The construction of the new zonal office has been stipulated to be completed within two years. If the ‘operation date’ is announced in the gazette, the railway officials have to complete it accordingly. However, the deliberate non-publication of the gazette gives rise to doubts.
Meanwhile, when the South Coast Zone was announced, the Waltair Division was split and another division was formed with Rayagada in Odisha as its center. The area from Kothavalasa in Vizianagaram district to Araku has been included in the Rayagada Division. However, the East Coast Zone officials are now pressuring from Bhubaneswar to give Kothavalasa station to this division.
There is a strong reason for this. A railway wagon depot is expected to be set up in that vicinity soon. With this, they are demanding that Kothavalasa station should also be included in their jurisdiction. With this, leaders of Andhra Pradesh government should focus first and ensure that the gazette is released.
