Delay in decision by the Centre in announcing the new railway zone for Andhra Pradesh, with headquarters in Visakhapatnam as promised in the past, is making the lives of employees of Waltair Division miserable.
The Bhubaneswar-headquartered East Coast Railway (ECoR), which is reconciled to the fact that parting with Waltair Division sooner or later is imminent, is ‘harassing Telugu employees’.
“Some employees of Waltair Division had approached us in the past contemplating resignation unable to bear harassment. Even Telugu officers had been harassed by their subordinates and there was no one to support them,” said Visakha Railway Zone Sadhana Samithi convener J.V. Satyanarayana Murthy.
He alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party was looking for a ‘political advantage’ and delaying the announcement of the zone. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu is only obsessed with the construction of the new capital for Andhra Pradesh. He neither cares to meet the Chairman of Railway Board nor does he meet the Railway Minister and impress him on need for the new zone.
“I have seen the attitude of the Board officials during the UPA rule. They do not care for even Ministers, except the Railway Minister,” Mr. Satyanarayana Murthy said.
“It’s unfortunate that except the Srikakulam MP K. Rammohan Naidu, none of the other MPs from Visakhapatnam region had attended the MPs’ meeting convened by the ECoR General Manager in Bhubaneswar recently. Visakhapatnam MP, K. Haribabu, who is also State president of the BJP, should have attended the meet and voiced our concerns as he always says railway zone is his top priority,” he added.
“The ‘Bada babu’ system is common in the Railways for a very long time and the present situation would embolden those from the headquarters to intimidate those from the division more. Only a united struggle will help in achieving the new railway zone,” says Congress leader Bolisetty Satya.
“In the name of committee report, they spent a year and now in the name stakeholders, they may take two more years. Launching another all-party struggle is the only solution and we (CPI-M) are ready to go with the BJP, as this issue concern’s the aspirations of the people,” CPI(M) State secretariat member Ch. Narasinga Rao has said.
Leaders of various organisations allege harassment of Waltair Division staff
