The last leg of the year 2022 saw hectic activity in the Railways, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi going on an inauguration spree of several projects during his visit to the city on November 12.
However, in an anti-climax of sorts, the Prime Minister did not lay the foundation stone for the most anticipated project of all — the headquarters of the South Coast Railway Zone (SCoR) — flummoxing the people of North Andhra.
The move was surprising because just a few days before the Prime Minister’s much-hyped arrival to the city, BJP leaders including MLC P.V.N. Madhav had told the media a few days ago that Mr. Modi would be laying the foundation stone for the zonal headquarters. His statement had revived hopes of locals and rail activists that work would finally begin on the project which was announced back in February 2019.
The Prime Minister had addressed a public meeting at the Andhra University College of Engineering grounds and remotely laid the foundation stone for some projects and launched a few others in Visakhapatnam city and other parts of the State. Railway officials had made arrangements for remote laying of the foundation stone for SCoR zone by the Prime Minister at Wireless (Railway) Colony, close to the city railway station. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had visited the site on the night of November 11. A day before, the Railway Board had also sanctioned ₹106 crore for the construction of the SCoR zonal headquarters building.
Locals were optimistic that the Prime Minister would at least flag off the Visakhapatnam-Varanasi express, the proposal for which was cleared by the Railway Board five years ago, and the Visakhapatnam–Bengaluru express, which had a successful run for over two years as a special train with an average occupancy of 140% but was subsequently withdrawn for unknown reasons. Though it was reintroduced as a weekly special train recently, locals have been demanding that it should be made a regular train with convenient timings. The BJP government at the Centre has let down the local people on this count as well, lament locals.
Rail users wonder why the Prime Minister did not lay the foundation stone for SCoR Headquarters, even when the Railway Board had already sanctioned funds for the purpose. Further, the design for the redevelopment of the Visakhapatnam Railway Station shows only eight platforms and not the additional ones for which a survey was done long ago.
There is no progress on the proposal for construction of a third line from Visakhapatnam Junction to Gopalapatnam, which has been in existence for several years, with a survey said to have been completed long ago. This is despite the fact that the third line can ease congestion at Visakhapatnam Junction to a great extent.
A number of trains are bypassing the largest city in Andhra Pradesh, and long-distance passengers are facing hardships in reaching the main station – Visakhapatnam Junction – from the outlying stations, which have not been properly developed. Local trains can be operated without much difficulty as all facilities are already available, say experts.
The Old Town Railway Station, which can be put to use to operate a few originating trains and ease congestion, has not been exploited. It needs to be revived and given the status of a ‘heritage station’. Though the footfalls have been registering a steady rise at Visakhapatnam Junction over the years, new trains are not being introduced on the plea of capacity constraints. The existing local stations can be put to proper use to ease the congestion at the main station, say rail users.
While a lot is being talked about the introduction of new trains, including a Vande Bharat train from Visakhapatnam, experts opine that the existing six pit lines at the New Coach Complex will not be in a position to meet the maintenance requirements of the new trains. They say at least two additional pit lines would be required for this purpose.
The proposal for converting the Marripalem Halt into a ‘Maha Terminal’ at an estimated cost of ₹76 crore has been put in cold storage. There are seven platforms at Pendurthi Railway Station and the stations at Duvvada and Simhachalam, which are under the limits of Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) and Kottavalasa, on the outskirts of GVMC, need to be developed as satellite stations.
Visakhapatnam has been ranked ninth in GDP among the top 10 cities in India. The city has also been chosen as one of the venues for the prestigious G-20 meeting. However, the slow pace of progress of development projects, initiated in the city long ago, can dampen the hopes of the denizens and the government in elevating the city to a world-class destination.
Published - December 26, 2022 12:56 am IST
