The decades-long struggle for establishing a Visakhapatnam Railway Zone finally saw some success when the alliance government announced its creation. However, the absence of an official gazette notification has left residents disappointed, similar to receiving a blessing from God but being denied by the priest.

Despite the announcement of South Coast Railway Zone with Visakhapatnam as headquarters, the railway ministry hasn’t released the gazette notification. This delay has created new problems for the project. After years of waiting, the foundation stone for the railway zone office was finally laid by Prime Minister Modi on January 8 this year.

Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu resolved land disputes and officially allocated 52 acres in Mudasarlova for the office complex. Tenders worth Rs 149 crore were also called for the building construction. However, work came to a standstill when some tribal people claimed ownership of the land and stopped the construction.

Usually, when a new railway zone is established, an official gazette with legal aspects, zone boundaries, and operation dates is released. This has happened with all previous zones before starting work, but strangely, no gazette notification has been issued for the South Coast Railway Zone even after three months of announcement.

Another concerning development is the pressure from East Coast Railway officials in Bhubaneswar to include Kottavalasa station in the newly formed Rayagada Division. Local residents suspect this is part of a strategy by Odisha leaders to delay the gazette notification until they secure their interests.

Visakhapatnam residents are urging their elected representatives, including Railway Standing Committee Chairman CM Ramesh and Union Minister Ram Mohan Naidu, to push for the immediate release of the gazette notification to make the railway zone operational.