A total of 63 stoppages were given to various trains in Sambalpur and Khurda Road Divisions as against a mere six stoppages to Waltair Division by the Bhubaneswar-headquartered East Coast Railway (E Co R) during the period between 2012-13 and 2016-17, according to information received by Duvvada Railway Users’ Association (DRUA) secretary Kanchumurthy Eswar.
“This shows the indifferent attitude of the ECoR administration towards the needs of passengers in Waltair Division. The DRUA has been waging a relentless battle for the past several years seeking a halt at Duvvada to important trains, originating in Visakhapatnam, for the convenience of passengers from the industrial belt of the city. Normally, important originating trains stop at satellite stations in major cities.”
Ironically, the RTI reply received from the Deputy COM/Chg/BBS says that “there is no proposal for stoppage of Visakhapatnam-Mumbai LTT Express, Visakhapatnam-Hazrat Nizamuddin Swarna Jayanti Express at Duvvada.”
The proposals for stoppage of these trains were sent by the then MLA of Gajuwaka Chintalapudi Venkataramaiah to the Waltair Divisional Headquarters in 2011 and they were acknowledged by the then DRM N. Kashinath, who also said that they were referred to the zonal headquarters for necessary consideration.
Representations by
MP, MLA
Visakhapatnam MP Kambhampati Haribabu, presnet MLA of Gajuwaka Palla Srinivasa Rao wrote to the General Manager of ECoR in May, 2015 and in January, 2016 respectively seeking provision of halts to Visakhapatnam-Mumbai LTT and Visakhapatnam-Nizamuddin Swarnajayanti express at Duvvada, says Mr. Eswar.
The DRUA secretary wonders as to how the ECoR headquarters could deny there was any proposal for stoppage of the above trains, when letters were sent by the MP and MLAs and they were duly acknowledged.
After years of struggle, only one originating train Visakhapatnam-Secunderabad Garibrath was given a halt at Duvvada from January 14, 2015 though the same was announced by the then Minister of State for Railways Kotla Suryaprakash Reddy way back on December 15, 2012.
