Gazette Notification for Visakhapatnam Railway Zone a historic milestone for North Andhra, says Palla Srinivasa Rao*

VISAKHAPATNAM:Indian News Times May 5*In what is being described as the culmination of a decades-long struggle and the fulfillment of the collective aspirations of North Andhra, the Union Government has officially issued the Gazette notification for the establishment of the South Coast Railway (SCoR) Zone with Visakhapatnam as its headquarters.

Characterising the development as a "historic landmark," Telugu Desam Party (TDP) State President and Gajuwaka MLA Palla Srinivasa Rao noted on Tuesday that the move effectively validates the perseverance of the region’s leadership and the dreams of its people.

*A Triumph of Persistence*

Speaking to the media, Mr. Srinivasa Rao attributed the realization of the zone to the "unrelenting pursuit and strategic foresight" of *Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu*. He emphasized that the Chief Minister had consistently leveraged his influence at the national level to ensure that the commitments made under the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act were translated into reality.

"The echoes of the 'Visakha Railway Zone is Andhra’s Right' slogan, raised by TDP parliamentarians between 2014 and 2019, have finally found their destination," Mr. Srinivasa Rao said. He further remarked that while the zone was initially announced in 2019, the project languished during the 2019-2024 period due to what he termed the "lackadaisical attitude" and "administrative inertia" of the previous YSRCP regime, particularly regarding critical land acquisition.

*Accelerated Momentum*

The TDP leader highlighted that upon the NDA coalition assuming power in 2024, the process was placed on a "war footing."

> "Chief Minister Naidu’s immediate intervention with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Railway Ministry removed the long-standing bureaucratic bottlenecks. By resolving land acquisition issues expeditiously, the State paved the way for the Centre to allocate substantial funds and fast-track administrative clearances," he stated.

The Gazette notification, issued on May 4, 2026, mandates that the South Coast Railway Zone—encompassing the Guntakal, Guntur, and Vijayawada divisions—will become fully operational from June 1.

*Catalyst for Regional Growth*

Mr. Srinivasa Rao lauded the synergy between the State and Union governments, acknowledging the roles played by Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, and local representatives including Visakhapatnam MP M. Sribharat and Union Ministers Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu and Dr. Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar.

Beyond the administrative victory, the MLA underscored the economic implications of the move. He noted that the new zone would serve as a catalyst for:

 *Employment Generation:* Creating thousands of direct and indirect jobs for local youth.

 *Infrastructure Overhaul:* Modernisation of stations and the expansion of new rail lines.

 *Industrial Synergy:* Complementing recent high-profile investments from global giants like Google, TCS, and Cognizant.

Concluding his address, Mr. Srinivasa Rao reaffirmed that this milestone, coupled with efforts to revive the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, would firmly cement the city’s position as a premier global hub and a pivotal railway nerve center for the nation.

                   K.V.SHARMA EDITOR