Railway zone not a promise, says Piyush Goyal

Hyderabad: Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal says that the AP Reorganisation Act does not call for a separate railway zone to be established for Andhra Pradesh.  It only says the feasibility of such a zone should be studied.  It seems from his comments that the central government is not willing to create a separate railway zone headquartered in Vizag.  Speaking to the media on Monday in Delhi Mr Goyal said, “I ask those who are demanding a separate railway zone for AP to study the AP Reorganisation Act. The act did not say to establish a separate railway zone for AP; it only mentioned the feasibility of creating a separate railway zone.” 

He said, “The act said to study the feasibility, the issue is with the railway ministry; I am also still studying it.”  He said this had been explained in Parliament too.  The people of AP, particularly of the north coastal district, are agitating for a separate railway zone with Vizag as the headquarters.

AP Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has taken up this issue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union ministers. In the NITI Aayog meeting held on Sunday in Delhi, too, Mr Naidu mentioned this matter in his speech.  At first the centre said that the Odisha government is not agreeable to a separate railway zone for AP, but the Odisha government clarified that it has no objection.  So later the central government said it was studying the matter and has been doing so for the last four years.