Muttamsetti stages protest

CPI leaders extend support to the campaign

Anakapalle MP M. Srinivasa Rao staging a dharna at the Visakhapatnam railway station on Sunday.

Anakapalle MP Muttamsetti Srinivasa Rao staged a day-long protest at Visakhpatnam Railway Station on Sunday demanding immediate announcement of the railway zone with headquarters in Visakhapatnam. The MP staged the protest on the varendah near the ticket booking counter at the main entrance of the railway station.

MLAs Vasupalli Ganesh Kumar (Visakhapatnam South) and Palla Srinivas (Gajuwaka) participated in the protest in support of the MP.

‘Highest revenue’

Establishment of a new railway zone, with headquarters in Visakhapatnam, was a long-pending demand of the people of north Andhra, the participants in the dharna said.

The MP said this protest was only a beginning and not an end.

“Railway zone is our right. Waltair Division, presently in East Coast Railway (E Co R), was earning the highest revenue compared to the other three Divisions in A.P.: Vijayawada, Guntur and Guntakal (all three in South Central Railway).” Andhra Pradesh has no railway zone despite having four railway divisions. When his attention was drawn to the opposition by some TDP leaders when the Centre wanted to declare a new zone with Visakhapatnam as headquarters, Mr. Srinivasa Rao said that he had conveyed the aspirations of the people to the Chief Minister and convinced him on having the rail zone headquarters in Visakhapatnam.

The Chief Minister had agreed and there was no deviation from TDP stand on having the headquarters in Visakhapatnam, he added.

TDP Rural District president Panchakarla Ramesh Babu, Anakapalle MP Peela Govinda Satyanarayana, Visakhapatnam West MLA P.G.V.R. Naidu, Pendurthy MLA Bandaru Satyanarayana Murthy, MLC G. Srinivasulu Naidu, CPI State assistant secretary J.V. Satyanarayana Murthy and CPI leader Pydiraju were among those who extended support to the Anakapalle MP.

Later in the evening, the Mr. Srinivasa Rao and his supporters took out a ‘padayatra’ to the DRMs Office and handed over a memorandum to the DRM, seeking that their protest be conveyed to the Railway Minister and the Centre.