It has been over two-and-a-half years since the announcement was made on the formation of a new railway zone called South Coast Railway (SCoR) with Visakhapatnam as its headquarters. However, the new zone is yet to take final shape as a formal notification is yet to be issued, with the delay causing frustration among railway officials and the public.
The recent statement made by Union Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw in Parliament that there were no proposals for any new zones, and the subsequent furore by the Opposition which led him to hastily retract his remarks, was unwarranted, feel many. The new zone, with its headquarters based in Visakhapatnam, was announced by the then Railway Minister Piyush Goyal on February 27, 2019. The statement of Mr. Vaishnaw, more than two-and-a-half years later, that no time frame can be fixed for operationalisation of the new zone, had thus stirred a hornet’s nest.
While the Opposition raised doubts about the intentions of the Centre in the operationalisation of SCoR, official sources say the fears are unfounded as SCoR has already been declared and funds allocated to it in the ‘pink book’. The Detailed Project Report (DPR) was prepared by S.S. Srinivas, the first Officer on Special Duty (OSD) of SCoR, which was submitted to the Railway Board by his successor over two years ago.
At the time of announcement of the zone, Mr. Goyal had declared that a decision was taken to bifurcate Waltair Division and merge one part with the proposed new railway division headquartered at Rayagada in Odisha, and the residual part of Waltair Division with Vijayawada Division. This is said to be one of reasons for delay in operationalisation of the zone. Employees of Waltair Division as also the locals advocate continuation of the existing Divisional Headquarters also in Visakhapatnam by retaining the residual part.
The employees apprehend that they will lose their seniority on moving to Vijayawada Division. Railway assets like coach depot, wagon repair shop, Diesel Loco Shed (DLS) and Electric Loco Shed (ELS), are all located in Visakhapatnam and the staff would continue to work in Visakhapatnam. Employees and officers of some departments like Accounts would be moved to Vijayawada, if the Divisional Headquarters is shifted.
An officer at the rank of Additional DRM would have to be anyway posted in Visakhapatnam for quick decision-making and coordination with local industries and allotment of wagons for movement of goods. Visakhapatnam is among the top revenue-earning divisions in the country as it is a wagon generation point due to the presence of a large number of major industries in the city. In fact, the revenue of the division is much more than some of the existing zones, according to sources.
The first OSD had suggested, in the DPR, construction of the zonal headquarters office in an extent of 20 acres of land at an estimated cost of ₹111.02 crore on the railway land available between the existing DRM’s Office and the Officers Rest House in Wireless Colony, in view of its proximity to the railway station. He had also suggested retention of the residual part of Waltair Division and continuation of the Divisional Headquarters in the DPR.
Waltair Division on the right track
The present Waltair Division, headquartered in Visakhapatnam, is spread over 1,106 km, extending over Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam districts in Andhra Pradesh, apart from parts of Odisha and Chhattisgarh States. It has a total staff strength of 17,677, including 126 gazetted officers.
Despite the pandemic situation, Waltair Division transported 2.89 million passengers and generated passenger revenue of ₹112.67 crore between April and August 2021 (2021-22 fiscal), registering good growth, as compared to the first five months of the previous financial year. The originating goods loading of 26.71 million tonnes during the first five months of the 2021-22 fiscal, compared to 19.89 MT during the same period last year, registered an increase of 34.29%.
Goods revenue increased to ₹3,090 crore, from ₹2,316.70 crore during the same period last year. Waltair Division recorded a total revenue of ₹3,244.55 crore in the first five months of this year, as against ₹2,380.86 crore the same period last year, registering an increase of 36.27%.
Things seem to be moving in the right direction for Waltair Division this year. The recent addition of two additional Vistadome coaches to the Visakhapatnam–Kirandul Passenger, popularly known as Araku Passenger, the introduction of LHB coaches to several important trains, and augmentation of extra coaches to high-demand trains originating from Visakhapatnam, during the festival season, are being hailed as the highlights of the year. The addition of new Vistadome coaches has given a boost to the tourism sector in Visakhapatnam, which is recovering from the losses incurred last year due to COVID-19.
Pending proposals
Construction of a 3rd line from Visakhapatnam to Gopalapatnam, for which a survey was completed long ago, building additional platforms on the Gnanpuram side of the Visakhapatnam Railway Station, introduction of new originating trains to Bengaluru, Varanasi and Kolkata and rerouting of long-distance trains, which are presently diverted through Duvvada, via Visakhapatnam junction are some of the major pending issues.
