Railway minister Suresh Prabhu's railway budget for 2016-17 again
failed to accord the much awaited special railway zone to Andhra
Pradesh. This was something already committed to the state by the Centre
as part of the Reoganisation Act, 2014. The minister has maintained
full due to so called opposition from the railway board.
Sources
say that the railway ministry's technical committee which had examined
the proposal has voted against it. The proposal is also facing severe
resistance coming from the top brass of East Coast Railway (ECoR) zone
as well as South Central Railway.
The technical
committee reportedly concluded that there is no such need for a special
zone to every state. Visakhapatnam generates revenue of nearly Rs
4,000 crore every year, considerably higher than other divisions of
ECoR. Hence MPs from Odisha reportedly approached the rail ministry
directly.
In a way intense lobbying by the
officials from both Odisha and Telangana, has reportedly over weighed
the pleas of Chandrababu Naidu. An exclusive railway zone for
Visakhapatnam has been 15 year-old promise but railway officials from
other regions are ganged up against AP!
