The work on the Visakhaptanam-based South Coast Railway Zone, which was sanctioned by the NDA government will begin shortly and people need not have any apprehension about it, said BJP MP G.V. L. Narasimha Rao.
Addressing a meeting organised by senior railway trade union leaders here on Monday, he said that after decades of struggle, Prime Minister Narendra Modi sanctioned the zone, as promised in the run-up to the 2014 elections and now steps being taken to start the work.
However, Opposition parties are spreading rumours and false propaganda to defame the BJP, he alleged.
MLC P.V.N. Madhav said that the Union government has sanctioned ₹170 crore for the establishment of the zone in the last Budget, but none of the political parties, including the YSR Congress Party, is talking about it.
In a scathing attack on the TDP and the YSRCP, Mr. Narasimha Rao said that both the parties always look for business interest in everything and are not concerned with the real development of the nation.
He assured the senior railway employees that he would take up the issue of retaining the Waltair Division and creation of RRB for the new zone, with Railway Minister Piyush Goyal and also with the Railway Board Chairman.
‘Misguiding people’
He pointed out that general public are being misguided by the TDP and the YSRCP on the revenue generation of the division. “Every revenue generated by divisions across the country goes to the consolidated fund of the Indian Railways and the division or zones have no authority to spend any part of it on their own,” said Mr. Narasimha Rao.
Accusing the TDP and the YSRCP of not communicating correctly with the general public, he said that the Union government had sanctioned more to the State then actually desired, but it has not been communicated to the people.
Vizag-Chennai corridor
Highlighting a few projects he said, “The State government’s response to the Vizag-Chennai corridor, which would see huge investment and generation of employment to about 1.5 crore people has been lukewarm. It appears that the State government has no interest in the Asian Development Bank-funded project.”
He also pointed out that many people are not aware that the Union government has sanctioned two manufacturing zones for Prakasam and Chittoor districts and ₹8 lakh crore worth investment projects for the State.
Visakhapatnam City has got huge funds under Smart City projects and every housing scheme is funded by the Union government under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), but there is a wrong notion among the people that the BJP-led government has done nothing, due to the propaganda being spread by the TDP and the YSRCP, Mr. Narasimha Rao said.
Mr. Madhav pointed out that the Central government has sanctioned and funded over 48 projects in the State and Visakhapatnam has received the second largest defence grants for its strategic projects.
V.V. Ramana Murthy, Chairman of the Writers Academy, and leaders from the Senior Railway Trade Union, spoke.
