RailEnquiry

The establishment of railway zonal headquarters in Visakhapatnam is a must to ensure development of the region, says Union Minister of Tribal Affairs and Panchayat Raj V. Kishore Chandra Deo.His proposal for relocation of South Eastern Railway (SER) zone headquarters in Bhubaneswar and shifting of the East Coast Railway (ECoR) zone headquarters from Bhubaneswar to Visakhapatnam is seen as a viable solution to end the decade-long injustice suffered by Waltair Division under the ECoR dispensation.While the proposal is being hailed by the people in Visakhapatnam region, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has raked up an ‘unnecessary controversy’ saying that Odisha would not allow shifting of the headquarters. Kolkata is the headquarters for both Eastern Railway (ER) zone and SER. Kolkata is situated in the eastern part of the country and cannot claim to be a part of South Eastern Region. The reshuffling of zones will ensure equitable growth of both Andhra and Bhubaneswar.“Vishakhapatnam is situated at the centre of the east coast between Kolkata and Chennai. The ECoR headquarters, which should have been located in Vishakhapatnam, was unfortunately established in Bhubaneswar. The SER headquarters should be shifted to Bhubaneswar with the Khurda Division attached to it and ECoR headquarters must be shifted to Visakhapatnam with the addition of Vijayawada Division in lieu of Khurda Division,” Mr. Deo has written to the Antony Committee.

“If they (Odisha leaders) are so attached to the name (ECoR) let them retain it. Waltair Division must be de-linked from ECoR and a new zone can be formed with headquarters in Visakhapatnam, with the addition of Vijayawada and Guntur Divisions to it,” Mr. Deo has told The Hindu over phone from Delhi, when his attention has been drawn to the issue.

Other proposals

Several proposals related to Visakhapatnam that have already been announced in the successive railway budgets have not materialised so far. These include construction of a railway line that could spur the development of the tribal areas, announced in the budget two years ago and introduction of a second train to Araku, announced by former Railway Minister Mamata Bannerjee.

Construction of four additional platforms at Visakhapatnam station, for which a survey has already been made, laying of a third line from Visakhapatnam to Gopalapatnam are some of the other pending proposals.

Relocation of zonal headquarters will ensure equitable development, he says

He says proposals cleared in budget have not been taken up