With the general elections fast approaching, the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) government in the State and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government at the Centre are trying to complete projects that were put on the back burner for long. The South Coast Railway (SCoR) Zone project, which was announced in 2019 and forgotten after, is one such project.
The Modi government’s announcement of the SCoR Zone project, with its headquarters in Visakhapatnam, before the 2019 general elections came as a huge relief for the people of north Andhra Pradesh. However, disappointment soon set in, as there seemed to be no progress on the project. For five years, the Railway Board kept saying that the detailed project report was being examined and that no time frame could be fixed for operationalisation of the Zone.
The BJP has blamed the YSRCP government for the delay, but this explanation has failed to cut ice with rail users. Activists have suggested that the BJP government should look for alternatives to operationalise the Zone instead of trying to pass the buck to the State government. They believe that a General Manager can be appointed immediately, and that the office buildings and staff quarters constructed as part of the Phase-II expansion of the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP), which are not in use, can be used as the SCoR Zonal Headquarters.
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They have also asked why the Railway authorities are not using railway land which has already been identified, and is close to the Visakhapatnam railway station, to construct the SCoR Zonal headquarters. In fact, the plaque at the site was readied for unveiling by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2022. However, a day before Mr. Modi’s visit, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw visited the area late at night and expressed his unhappiness with the site. He announced that he would like a “world-class zonal headquarters building in Visakhapatnam.” The officials informed him that an alternative site was available close to the picturesque Mudasarlova reservoir. Though the State government has taken possession of this land for handing it over to the Railways, a small portion of the land is caught in a legal dispute, say sources. Despite this, the Minister insists on having the headquarters close to Mudasarlova instead of the readily available railway land.
In October 2022, BJP leaders told The Hindu that the scheduled laying of the foundation stone by Mr. Modi was deliberately postponed as the party believed that the YSRCP government would get credit for the railway zone.
During his visit to the Simhachalam Railway Station in Visakhapatnam on December 9, 2023, Mr. Vaishnaw said that the Centre was working with the State government to resolve the issue pertaining to land acquisition in Mudasarlova. Rail users say that the Centre could have initiated this move a long time ago instead of blaming the YSRCP government. The State government, on its part, is allegedly reluctant to evict encroachers and earn their wrath before the elections.
The resentment of the people of Visakhapatnam region increased after the formation of the East Coast Railway (ECoR) Zone in 2003. Later, the Waltair Division was merged with the ECoR Zone. The officials of the ECoR Zone seemed to care little for the needs of the people of north Andhra — for instance, by failing to introduce daily direct trains from Visakhapatnam junction to Chennai and Bengaluru. They also extended popular trains running from Hyderabad and Bengaluru to Visakhapatnam, to Bhubaneswar, but failed to concede to the demands of the people to extend long-distance trains terminating at Bhubaneswar, Puri and Sambalpur, to Visakhapatnam. There are several such examples of the demands of the people being ignored.
Union Minister Kishen Reddy had also written to Mr. Vaishnaw about this injustice. He said that the popular Visakha Express and Prasanthi Express, which were terminating at Visakhapatnam junction, has been extended to Bhubaneswar. This move, he said, had deprived the people of Visakhapatnam region of their quota of berths.
With elections drawing near, it is hoped that the State and Central governments will sort out their issues and ensure operationalisation of the SCoR Zonal soon. However, given the inordinate delay and lack of clear explanations for it, this is likely to remain a pipe dream.
