Amaravati: The long-cherished dream of Andhra Pradesh’s people has been fulfilled, said Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday while hailing the gazette notification issued by the Centre to create the South Coast Railway Zone.
“It is heartening that the Railway Ministry has issued a gazette notification establishing the South Coast Railway Zone with Visakhapatnam as its headquarters. The long-cherished dream of Andhra Pradesh’s people has been fulfilled. Official operations of the zone, centred at Visakhapatnam, are set to commence from June 1, 2026,” the Chief Minister posted on X.
“As part of the reorganisation of the Waltair Division, merging key sections like Palasa-Ichchapuram into the Visakhapatnam Division will transform the transportation landscape of North Andhra. With coordination between the newly formed Visakhapatnam Division and the Rayagada Division, the railway system will be further strengthened. This will contribute to the state’s development, particularly the industrial growth of North Andhra,” he said.
The Chief Minister thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw for accepting Andhra Pradesh’s request and releasing this historic gazette.
Agriculture minister Kinjarapu Atchannaidu, who comes from North Andhra, said that a decades-old dream has been realised through the efforts of the NDA alliance government. The Central government issuing a Gazette notification on the establishment of the Visakha Railway Zone is a victory for the people of Uttarandhra (North Andhra), he said.
Even though the previous government neglected it, under the guidance of Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, our NDA alliance government coordinated with the Centre and achieved this historic victory, he said.
“Merging key sections like Palasa – Ichchapuram, Duvvada – Vijayanagaram, Bobbili – Salur into the Visakha Division is immensely crucial for the development of this region. Along with the green signal for constructing a permanent office building in Arilova, the temporary office is set to commence operations from June 1, marking a positive development,” he said.
Atchannaidu congratulated his nephew and civil aviation minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu for his relentless efforts in this matter, and thanked the Central Government for supporting the development of backward regions. “We have fulfilled the dream of the people of Uttarandhra as promised,” added the minister.
(IANS)
