Visakha Railway Zone Sadhana Samiti’s 250-km long rail yatra from Itchapuram in Srikakulam district to Visakhapatnam concluded here with a rally from the railway station to the office of the divisional railway manager on Monday and declaration by samiti convener J.V. Satyanarayana Murthy to resort to direct action if their demand was not conceded immediately.
“We have waited patiently for four years. The BJP-led NDA Government despite its firm promise has failed to fulfil it. Even Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu made an announcement that the new zone will be formed with headquarters in Visakhapatnam. So far nothing has materialised belying the hopes of the people of North Andhra,” he told the protesters.
On arrival, the activists were received here at the railway station by scores of people from various political parties including Tynala Vijaya Kumar and G Amarnath (YSRCP), Mantri Rajasekhar (INTUC) and A.J. Stalin (CPI).
The response to the yatra was overwhelming with many expressing their solidarity by travelling with the activists for one or two stations during the 12-station journey of the Bhubaneswar-Visakhapatnam Inter-City Express. The activists also met Jana Sena founder and actor Pawan Kalyan at Itchapuram.
Militant struggle
Mr. Murthy, State assistant secretary of CPI, who was accompanied by CPI (M) district secretary K. Loknadham and Lok Satta State president Beesetti Babji, said they were left with only one choice to take up a militant struggle. “The governments both at the Centre and in the State will be held squarely responsible for any untoward incident,” he said.
He urged the Centre to concede their genuine demand without dilly-dallying.
Deploring the Non-Political JAC formed by HRD Minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao to take up railway zone demand, he wondered how Mr. Rao could head the JAC if it was really non-political after keeping mum over the issue for four years.
Visakhapatnam District Motor Transport Owners’ JAC chairman M. Janakiram Reddy, vice-chairman Gade Vasu, Uttarandhra Journalist Front president M.R.N. Varma coordinated arrangements at protest programme.
