Rajya Sabha member G.V.L. Narasimha Rao from the BJP has appealed to the Ministry of Railways to immediately get the pending land issues, pertaining to construction of South Coast Railway (S Co R) zone headquarters at Mudasarlova in Visakhapatnam, sorted out and expedite construction with the next two months.
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Raising the issue in the Rajya Sabha on Monday, Mr. Narasimha Rao recalled that establishment of railway zone headquarters in Visakhapatnam was a major demand and an emotional issue for the people of North Andhra region for many decades. The joy of the people of the region knew no bounds, when the Union Cabinet had cleared the proposal for establishment of SCoR zone, with headquarters in Visakhapatnam on February 28, 2019.
“Setting up of the new railway zone will bring optimality with regard to the size and scale of railway operations and also to meet the persistent demand and aspirations of the people of the area,” a press statement of the Government of India had then read,” he recalled.
Mr. Narasimha Rao said that the Railway Board had sanctioned detailed estimates for construction of S Co R headquarters in Visakhapatnam with a budget of ₹106 crore. The Railway Board has also issued orders assigning the construction work of the new zone headquarters to East Coast Railway (E Co R) Zone headquarters after getting the designs sanctioned.
He said that the delay in construction of the headquarters was due to the delay in handing over of the land by the State government. He appealed to the Ministry of Railways to operationalise the zone with headquarters in Visakhapatnam within a few months thereafter.