Hyderabad: The Hyderabad High Court on Tuesday admitted a PIL seeking to declare the action of the Union of India in not establishing a new railway zone in Visakhapatnam as illegal.
A division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Ramesh Ranga-nathan and Justice Shameem Akhter, while dealing with the PIL by Mr Konathala Ramakri-shna, former minister in the erstwhile AP, issued notices to the Centre, Ministry of Railways and the AP government asking them to explain their stand on establishing the railway zone in Vizag.
Mr C. Raghu, counsel for the petitioner, told the court that the respondents, particularly Union Railway Ministry, had failed to comply with the mandate contained in the 13th Schedule of the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014, to examine establishment of a new railway zone in the successor state of Andhra Pradesh.
He submitted that the people of AP were anxiously waiting for the new railway zone with a hope that it would bring economic development to the state and, more particularly, to the backward Uttarandhra region.
He said within six months from the appointed day, the authorities had to take steps for the establishment of the railway zone, but till date, there was no action from their side. He urged the court to direct respondents to establish a new railway zone.
