Workers on warpath over Waltair div closure plans

Visakhapatnam: Workers’ unions have warned of massive protests if railway authorities decide to do away with the Waltair division altogether. A recent communication from the railway board to the heads of East Coast Railway (ECoR) has mentioned the scrapping of the Waltair division to form a new railway division at Rayagada. It would be part of the process to create a new zone, the South Coast Railway (SCoR) with Visakhapatnam as its headquarters.This has created panic among workers of Waltair division.
The division has nearly 18,000 employees of which 10,000 work in the city itself.
In the official order, railway board has mentioned that a part of Waltair division is to be merged with Vijayawada division to form SCoR and the remaining part is to be organised as a new division at Rayagada in the ECoR limits.
PJ Raju, a city-based railway trade union leader, said they would go for a massive protest if the railway board does not withdraw its decision. He said railway employees at different departments in Visakhapatnam would have to travel nearly 400 kilometers from to Vijayawada if the 125-year-old Waltair division is scrapped.
Another activist Ch Gandhi pointed out, “creation of new railway zones are politically motivated. However, creation of divisions and sub-divisions are purely internal staff-management issue and linked with the welfare of employees. The railway ministry must keep this in mind.” Activists appealed to netas and common public to join them in the fight to save Waltair division.
Visakhapatnam MP MVV Satyannarayana told TOI that he had already taken up the matter with the railway ministry and would again bring this issue to the minister’s notice. “I will prepare a future course of action for retaining the division. We will all give a strong representation to the ministry at the earliest,” Satyanarayana promised.