Published Feb 08, 2025 | 1:30 PM ⚊ Updated Feb 08, 2025 | 1:30 PM
Central Cabinet: Andhra Pradesh's new South Coast Railway Zone gets only a part of affluent Waltair division (Piyush Goel/Facebook)
Synopsis: The BJP-led NDA has restructured railway zones by bifurcating the Waltair Railway Division. A major portion is merged into the Rayagada Railway Division of the East Coast Railway Zone, while the remainder forms the Visakhapatnam Railway Division under the South Coast Railway Zone. Despite opposition from North Coastal Andhra Pradesh, the new zone will control all of Andhra Pradesh, with Rayagada handling areas outside the state
The BJP-led NDA appears to have considered Odisha’s interests when approving the bifurcation of the Waltair Railway Division, merging a significant portion with the Rayagada Railway Division of the East Coast Railway Zone, headquartered in Bhubaneswar.
The remainder of what is left of the Waltair Division will now be called the Visakhapatnam Railway Division. It will be part of the South Coast Railway Zone with its headquarters at Visakhapatnam. The other divisions of the South Coast Railway Zone will be Vijayawada, Guntur, and Guntakal.
In other words, the newly created South Coast Railway Zone will have jurisdiction over entire Andhra Pradesh. The area outside Andhra Pradesh, which used to be part of the Waltair Division, will now go to Rayagada, which is part of the East Coast Railway Zone, headquartered in Bhubaneswar.
However, this decision goes against the wishes of those in the North Coastal Andhra Pradesh region, who wanted the entire Waltair Division to be brought under the South Coast Railway Zone, as it is one of the top five highest revenue-earning divisions in the entire country. Its contribution to railway revenue as, on 31 March, 2024 was about ₹10,000 crore, fifth highest in India.
Odisha, which benefited from the Waltair Division being part of the East Coast Railway Zone headquartered in Bhubaneswar, has managed to retain a significant portion, though not the entire division. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, addressing the media on 7 February, announced that 680 km of the Waltair Division would now fall under the Rayagada Division of the East Coast Railway Zone. The remaining 410 km will be transferred to the Visakhapatnam Division, part of the South Coast Railway Zone with its headquarters at Visakhapatnam. The division will be renamed to move away from its colonial-era name.
The creation of the railway zone has been a long time coming. After a long-drawn-out struggle by the people of the North Coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the creation of a new railway zone for Andhra Pradesh about five years ago. In fact, a new railway zone with Visakhapatnam as its headquarters was one of the assurances made in the Andhra Pradesh State Reorganisation Act, 2014.
Like all governments, which usually compete with snails in speed, the NDA’s promise of a new railway zone came only five years after the bifurcation of the state, and another five years later, Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the new railway zone on 8 January.
However, the bone of contention since the beginning has been, who should own the Waltair Division—the new zone created for Andhra Pradesh or the East Coast Railway Zone in Odisha? When Naveen Patnaik was the chief minister of Odisha, he did not allow the Waltair Division to come under Andhra Pradesh, as it is one of the top five divisions in the country in terms of revenue generation. Given his immense clout with the BJP in those days, he was able to stall the transfer of the division to Andhra Pradesh.
After the recent Lok Sabha elections, the situation has changed. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has emerged as the kingmaker at the Centre, lending crucial support to the BJP for its sustenance. Now, any demand from Andhra Pradesh is being addressed immediately, including the demand for the inclusion of the Waltair Division in the South Coast Railway Zone.
Interestingly, with the BJP now in power in Odisha, while it couldn’t prevent the split of the Waltair Division, it ensured it retained a major portion. This likely influenced the division process. The BJP had to agree to part of the Waltair Division being included in the new South Coast Railway Zone. Key figures like Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, Visakhapatnam MP M Sri Bharath, and Union Minister K Rammohan Naidu, the Srikakulam MP, were instrumental in convincing the Centre to transfer part of the division to Andhra Pradesh, renaming it the Visakhapatnam Division under the South Coast Railway Zone.
The Cabinet decision read: “One part of the Waltair Division, comprising approximately the sections between stations Palasa-Vishakhapatnam-Duvvada, Kuneru–Vizianagaram, Naupada Junction–Paralakhemundi, Bobbili Junction–Salur, Simhachalam North–Duvvada bypass, Vadalapudi–Duvvada, and Vishakhapatnam Steel Plant–Jaggayapalem (around 410 km), will be retained as the Waltair Division under the new South Coast Railway Zone. It will be renamed as the Vishakhapatnam Division, as the name ‘Waltair’ is a colonial legacy that needs to be changed.”
“The other part of the Waltair Division, comprising approximately the sections between stations Kottavalasa–Bacheli, Kuneru–Theruvali Junction, Singapur Road–Koraput Junction, and Paralakhemundi–Gunpur (around 680 km), will be converted into a new division with its headquarters at Rayagada under the East Coast Railway Zone. The retention of the Waltair Division, even in its truncated form, will meet the demand and aspirations of the people of the area,” the Cabinet decision read.
(Edited by Ananya Rao)
