How many more bifurcation of the Indian Railways?
The decision by the then Congress govt to form Telengana State ensured that Congress party vanishes from both the newly created States. The same fate may befall on BJP if SCoR is created!
Cancel the creation of SCoR or make Railways statewise!
A big debate has started on the efficacy, necessity and operational feasibility of the proposed South Coast Railway (SCoR), creation of Rayagada Division within ECoR and the Dissipation of the existing Waltair Division.
This heated debate is razing within the Railways, Staff Unions, Associations and among the local politicians of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha slowly drawing the conscious citizens of both the neighboring States into it’s fold.
Where as there seems to be almost a unanimous opinion among the public, politicians of Andhra Pradesh and the Railway staff that the efficiently functioning and one of the oldest Divisions of Indian Railway, Waltair Division should remain in place as its dissipation will be operationally unwise and politically very unpopular.
Some politicians of both States want new Divisional and Zonal offices to be built, without any understanding of the consequences for the entire Indian Railways and the political cost that it will entail for the ruling party at the centre.
All the experts opine that formation of South Coast Railway is indeed a very bad bargain for Railways and will prove to be suicidal for train operation as the proposed SCoR will surely destroy ECoR along with causing incalculable damage to revenue and mobility on Indian Railways as all workshops, loco sheds, ports etc will go to SCoR and the proposed Rayagada Division in jungle and truncated ECoR will perpetually starve of wagons and locomotives.
It’s impossible to think that the newly carved Rayagada Division or SCoR Zone can create any jobs or promote any development to offset the loss to ECoR, Indian Railways, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. And the fact is that no present employee of the Waltair Division want to go to the Rayagada Division or won’t leave the Vishakhapattanam city.
The experiences of all small divisions created in the last 2 decades have been dismal and disappointing. This particular decision has no support in the ground level either as the public is more concerned with safe, economical, efficient and comfortable train operations rather than creation of Zonal and Divisional offices in linguistics lines.
This decision is perceived as a foolish move by an avowedly nationalistic party as it will only create permanent rift among Telugus and Odias. While BJP will not gain anything from it in Andhra Pradesh, they stand to lose lots of goodwill within Odisha.
The decision by the then Congress govt to form Telengana State ensured that Congress party vanishes from both the newly created states. The same fate may befall on BJP if SCoR is created.
It’s worth noting here that the same BJP while in power at the centre created seven new Zones in 2002-03 and ensured the financial downfall of Indian Railways. The country and Indian Railway have not yet recovered from this costly populism when the party wants now to drive the last nail in the coffin of an ailing monolith.
This decision of creation of SCoR and Rayagada Division will benefit only a handful of builders, contractors and railway officers as earlier at the cost of operation, mobility and economy on Indian Railway and regional inter-state harmony.
Finally, some experts say, “As the present Railway Minister Ashwani Vaishnaw is highly educated and have all required qualifications for civil administration is perceived to be reasonable, the Railway staff, unions and officers are all pinning their hopes on him and are confident that he will save the Country and Indian Railway from this misadventure!”
Represented by Suresh Tripathi
#SCOR #Rayagada #Waltaire #ECoR #IndianRailway #RailwayBoard #AshwiniVaishnaw #CRB #CEORlys