Left parties and YSR Congress continued the agitation for setting up of a separate Railway Zone for Andhra Pradesh with its headquarters in Visakhapatnam. On Monday, the party leaders and workers along with activists of Uttarandhra Rakshana Vedika took out a rally and blocked the road at Maddilapalem.
Two days after a bandh was observed, which saw a partial success as the police picked up the agitators in the morning itself, the Left parties and YSRC and NGOs continued the agitation.
The rally was taken out from Isukathota junction to Maddilapalem junction where a rasta-roko was held. CPI State assistant secretary J.V. Satyanarayana Murthy, district secretary A.J. Stalin, CPI (M) city secretary B. Ganga Rao, YSRC district president Gudivada Amarnath, former MLAs Tynala Vijaya Kumar and M. Vijaya Prasad, party leader Vamsi Krishna, S.S. Siva Sankar of Uttarandhra Rakshana Vedika and others participated.
Mr. Amarnath said the day’s programme was part of a struggle chalked out for a few days before the Tuesday deadline set for the Central government to announce formation of new Railway Zone with headquarters in Visakhapatnam only, after broad hints were dropped that the headquarters would be located in Vijayawada ignoring the wishes of north Andhra people.
The agitation might go out of control of the political parties and the Central and State governments would be responsible for the consequences, he said. Instead of trying to bring differences and acrimony between the people of Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada regions, the Central government should fulfil the promise made in the State Reorganisation Act that the zone would be formed within six months from the appointed date, he said. A start could be made by appointing a Special Officer and declaring the zone as it would take about a year to form it in full measure, he added.
Central government should fulfil promise made in the State Reorganisation Act.
G. Amaranth
YSRC district president
