GoM meet to set up Vizag Railway Zone
The new zone will have the benefit of 4 existing ports while 2 more are in the process.
Hyderabad: The Group of Ministers will be holding a meeting with higher officials of the Railway Board on Thursday on the proposed new “South Coastal Zone” with its headquarters at Visakhapatnam.
Passengers’ associations in the region had been demanding the new zone for a while and with the creation of a new state, the zonal division is now a certainty.
Minister of state for railways Kotla Jaya Surya Prakash Reddy also confirmed the formation of the new zone with a separate general manager once the state is bifurcated.
The proposed new zone will have the benefit of the four existing ports while two more are in the process. While the Seemandhra region already has the Visakhapatnam, Gangawaram, Kakinada and Krishnapatnam ports, the Machlipatnam and Duggarajapatnam ports are also underway.
Being a social economic requirement of the new region, the new zone can take up several demands of enhanced connectivity with the new capital of the separate state with Hyderabad.
As per demands of the passengers’ associations, the districts of Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam needs to be delinked from East Coast Railway and brought under the new zone with headquarters at Visakhapatnam.
The coastal areas of AP, with all its natural resources of gas, oil, minerals, land and several major, medium as well as minor ports and industries, have the potential to make the new ‘South Coastal Zone’ the best railway zone.
“The new zone will augment development of the region with fast transport infrastructure development by connecting all cities, ports and petro corridor and enable movement of mineral and agriculture products,” stated a letter written by the East Godavari District and Cocanada Town Passengers Association.
GoM ends parleys with 8 AP parties
The Group of Ministers (GoM), entrusted with the task of preparing the Telangana Bill, will conclude their consultations and be ready with the Bill by November 20. On Wedn-esday, the GoM concluded its two-day interactions with eight political party leaders. The Telugu Desam stayed away.