South Coast Railway (SCoR) Zone: No Operational Date Yet, Says Railway Board

The operationalization of the South Coast Railway (SCoR) Zone, declared by the Centre six-and-a-half years ago, has not been decided yet. Railway Board replied to an RTI query stating that the exact date for the gazette notification, including operationalization and jurisdictional boundaries, has not been finalized. Railway trade union leaders believe politicians from North Andhra are being misled by Ministers and officials in the Railway Ministry.

The South Coast Railway (SCoR) Zone, declared by the Centre six-and-a-half years ago, remains in limbo, with no date set for its operationalization. The Railway Board, in response to an RTI query, stated that the exact date for the gazette notification, including operationalization and jurisdictional boundaries, has not been finalized [1].

Railway trade union leaders, particularly those from the SCoR Mazdoor Union, have expressed their frustration. They believe that politicians from North Andhra are being misled by ministers and officials in the Railway Ministry. The leaders argue that while decisions on the boundaries of the new zone have been taken, the exact endpoint of one zone and the starting point of another remain to be demarcated. This process is crucial before a gazette notification can be issued, enabling the new General Manager (GM) to assume control [1].

The foundation stone for the SCoR zonal headquarters was laid by the Prime Minister in January 2019, but construction is expected to take at least two years. A GM was appointed recently, but the divisions under the new zone—Visakhapatnam (Waltair), Vijayawada, Guntur, and Guntakal—continue to be under the control of the East Coast Railway (ECoR) and South Central Railway (SCR) until the gazette notification is issued [1].

Ch. Sankar Rao, general secretary of the SCoR Mazdoor Union, emphasized that the new GM will not have any power until a gazette notification on the zone is issued by the Government of India. He also noted that the GMs of ECoR and SCR may not have an interest in the early operationalization of SCoR as they would have to relinquish a part of their area and potentially lose revenue [1].

The Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, N. Chandrababu Naidu, whose party is in alliance with the BJP-led government at the Centre, is being urged to exert his influence on the Prime Minister and the Railway Minister to expedite the process [1].

References:
[1] https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/six-years-on-no-date-yet-for-the-operationalisation-of-scor/article69916488.ece