The South Central Railway Mazdoor Union (SCRMU) on Friday welcomed the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Telangana for laying the foundation stone for the ₹521-crore railway manufacturing unit at Kazipet and urged him to also sanction a coach factory at the site as it would benefit the region in terms of jobs and socio-economic development .
General secretary Ch. Sankara Rao requested formation of a new division with Kazipet as headquarters and to filling group D jobs with local people in the railways. Expediting the Bhadrachalam-Kovvur line, super speciality railway hospital at Hyderabad and a railway as well as medical engineering colleges here were the other demands.
The union also requested the PM to sanction up to 6,600 running staff and trackmen, pointsmen and other safety category staff. The apprentices trained and recruited should be automatically absorbed after due process while restoration of old pension scheme, risk allowance to the open line staff, reopening of railway schools, construction of houses, and interest-free loans etc. were also requested, according to a press release.