Anakapalle MP C.M. Ramesh said a ‘bhoomi puja’ will be performed soon for the proposed South Coast Railway Zone. Mr. Ramesh arrived in Visakhapatnam for the first time after being appointed as the chairperson of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Railways Union, on Wednesday.
Replying to queries from reporters who met him at the airport, Mr. Ramesh said that the State government has already handed over the land for construction of the SCoR Zonal headquarters, and the date of laying of foundation stone would be announced soon. The statements are music to the ears of railway users from North Andhra region, who have been awaiting operationalisation of the zone for over five years now.
The statements are also in consensus with those of Union Minister of Civil Aviation K. Rammohan Naidu during the flagging off of the Visakhapatnam – Durg Vande Bharat Express on September 16.
“I will work towards getting railway projects to North Andhra as well as the State,’‘ Mr. Ramesh added.
In September, Mr. Rammohan Naidu had said: “The ‘double-engine sarkar’ of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Centre and Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu in A.P. is committed to the operationalisation of the railway zone. The State government has already handed over the land required for construction, and the bhoomi puja would be performed between Dasara and Diwali.”
It may be recalled that the then Railway Minister Piyush Goyal and Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced in February 2019, before the general elections, that a new railway zone – South Coast Railway (SCoR) – would be established with its headquarters in Visakhapatnam.
An Officer on Special Duty (OSD) was appointed without much delay and the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for establishment of SCoR was submitted in August 2019 itself, and it was included in the 2020-21 Budget under umbrella work titled “Creation of new South Coast Railway Zone and new Rayagada Division in East Coast Railway (E Co R)” at an estimated cost of ₹170 crore.
But hardly any progress has been witnessed on the ground during the last five years. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has been saying on and off that work on construction of zonal headquarters would begin soon, while maintaining that no time frame could be fixed for operationalisation of the zone.
The undue delay in the commencement of the work gave rise to the suspicions on the real intentions of the Centre.
With Dasara festivities round the corner and Diwali not far away, it remains to be seen whether the ‘double-engine sarkar’ will keep its promise on beginning the work on construction of the zonal head quarters in Visakhapatnam.
Published - October 02, 2024 11:15 pm IST
