Renaming and retaining residual part of Waltair Division hailed

The announcement on the continuation of the residual part of Waltair Division, with its headquarters in Visakhapatnam, is being hailed by various organisations, trade unions, leaders of various political parties and people of North Andhra, who have been demanding its continuation and opposing its merger with Vijayawada Division.

TDP State president and Gajuwaka MLA welcomed the decision of the Centre to rename Waltair Division as Visakhapatnam Division, retaining the divisional headquarters in Visakhapatnam, apart from establishment of the South Coast Railway (SCoR) Zone headquarters in Visakhapatnam. He recalled the contribution of Union Minister of Civil Aviation K. Rammohan Naidu and Visakhapatnam MP M. Sribharat for their efforts in securing the decision.

Hailing the decision, former Joint Director of CBI V.V. Lakshminarayana said that retaining the divisional headquarters and creating the new S Co R Zone headquarters would result in more employment for the people of North Andhra, who have been at the receiving end for the past few decades.

While commending the Centre for the decision and the TDP-JSP-BJP alliance government in the State for its efforts in pursuing the issue, senior trade union leader and former general secretary of East Coast Railway Shramik Union Ch. Gandhi sought the early appointment of the General Manager for SCoR and the early operationalisation of the zone.

Zonal Railway Users Consultative Committee (ZRUCC) member Kanchumurthi Eswar described the renaming of the division and retaining of the divisional headquarters in Vizag as a ‘collective victory’ of various sections of people, trade unions and organisations, which had been working for it over the years.

CPI district secretary M. Pydiraju described it as a victory for all those who participated in the struggles for the achievement of the SCoR zone with its headquarters in Visakhapatnam during the past few decades.