The path is now clear for Vizag to become the headquarters of the proposed new railway zone in Andhra Pradesh with Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and TDP leaders breaking their long silence on the issue and the former coming out with a firm statement.
Setting aside speculations that he is in favour of making Vijayawada as its headquarters, the Chief Minister gave this assurance to the party MLAs, who met him at Anakapalle on Saturday and told him of their predicament in facing the public ire on the issue. It may be recalled that it was reported in these columns that lack of clarity from the TDP high command on the issue was causing embarrassment to the party leaders from the region.
The reports that the Chief Minister was in favour of the zone headquarters in Vijayawada were causing widespread resentment among the people of the region and representatives of various peoples’ organisations, who have been agitating for nearly two decades demanding a new zone with headquarters in Vizag.
Minister for HRD Ganta Srinivasa Rao admitted that the conflicting statements that came from Vijayawada and the inability of the local party leaders to counter them, in the absence of clarity from the party high command, had put them in a tight spot, when The Hindu brought the issue to his notice here on Sunday.
“With the Chief Minister coming out with a firm assurance that Visakhapatnam will become the headquarters of the new zone, there can be no more cause for apprehensions among the people,” Mr. Srinivasa Rao said and expressed optimism that it would soon become a reality.
Top grosser Visakhapatnam has over 700 acres of railway land in the city, diesel and electric loco sheds, and coaching complex. Waltair Division (Visakhapatnam) is among the top four revenue earners of all the 70 railway divisions in the country and earned Rs.6,200 crore revenue during (2013-14), to qualify for having a zonal headquarters.
