The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Visakhapatnam News : Raw deal for Vizag again?

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Nov 08, 2009
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Visakhapatnam

Raw deal for Vizag again?

R. Jagadeeswara Rao

Railway zone issue seems to have become a mere poll-eve issue

The division has been subjected to step-motherly treatment under ECoR, says CPI leader
The issue has not been taken seriously, says Narasinga Rao

VISAKHAPATNAM: Has the long pending demand of the people, peoples representatives, political parties and voluntary organisations, trade and industry, chamber of commerce, in these parts for a separate railway zone with headquarters at Visakhapatnam or merger of this division with South Central Railway, become an election-eve issue, occupying the centre stage only during campaign and swept under the carpet as soon as the din and bustle died down? Has it also become a post-railway budget issue with the MPs realising that Visakhapatnam had once again been handed over a raw deal? The answer to both questions is an emphatic ‘yes’ if developments in the last several years and the comments of political parties other than the ruling party, as also voluntary organisations, are any indication.

Waltair Railway division, which is part of East Coast Railway with headquarters at Bhubaneswar in Orissa, is one of the highest revenue earning divisions among all the railway divisions in the country. In a letter to the Minister of Railways in July, Visakhapatnam MP and Minister of State for Human Resource Development, D. Purandeswari, pointed out how things were ‘highly deplorable’ on several fronts at Waltair railway division and wanted merger of this division with the South Central Railway. During election campaign and immediately after election she said that this issue would get top priority in her agenda. But when asked about the same a few days back she said “I have been pursuing the issue. There are four more years”. Political parties like the TDP and the CPI (M) took it to mean that the issue had been put on backburner, once again.

According to Ch. Narasinga Rao, district unit CPI (M) secretary, lack of political will was responsible for the sorry state of affairs. “Our MPs and other leaders talk of the issue only on the eve of elections and at the time of railway Budget and then conveniently forget about it,” he said. There are 16 railway zones in the country, of them only three are located in South India, and there was need for increasing the number of such zones in South India, he said, adding that Visakhapatnam, which earns the second highest revenue could be made a separate zone. This division under the ECoR had been subjected to step-motherly treatment, he alleged. He wants the State Assembly to make a resolution for formation of a separate zone and sent it to the Ministry of Railways.

City unit president of TDP, Kona Tata Rao had also charged ruling party MPs with not following the issue persistently. While Visakhapatnam MP, Purandeswari, is a Minister of State in the Union Cabinet, the Rajya Sabha Member from Visakhapatnam T. Subbarami Reddy is a former Minister and chairman of Parliamentary Committee on Science, Technology and Environment. These are powerful MPs, but they have no commitment and the issue had not been taken up with seriousness it required, Mr. Tata Rao said, pointing out that the demand had no financial commitment and it was a matter of policy decision.

Praja Rajyam Party had also been making similar demands. Some time back party legislator, Ganta Srinivasa Rao, organised rail roko agitation demanding, among other things, formation of separate zone with head quarters at Visakhapatnam. President of Praja Spandana, C.S. Rao and Forum for Better Visakha had been voicing similar demand. Leaders like Mr. Narasinga Rao and Mr. Tata Rao urged the Chief Minister K. Rosaiah to take the initiative and see that the long pending demand of people of these parts is materialised.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Andhra Pradesh