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Several promises were made by the Central Government and the relevant Govt. organisations during the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh in 2014; many of which still are pending with minimal signs of completion. As the anticipation is rising among the people of Andhra Pradesh, there seems to be no improvement in the speed of development by the Central Government.
The rapidly increasing need for mobility from the people of Andhra Pradesh is not well served by the existing Railway zones in neighboring states. A separate railway zone in the state would not only provide better ease of transportation to its people but also lead to the creation to new employment opportunities.
The new zone would acquire new borders, which will cover 35% of the present Waltair Division and leaving the remaining 65% to Odisha and Chattisgarh.
Railway job aspirants from Vizag, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam districts of Andhra Pradesh are required to travel to the Railway Recruitment Board (RBB) headquarters in Bhubaneswar for recruitment procedures. A separate railway zone for Andhra Pradesh, via the setup of a recruitment centre closer to the 3 districts, would cut down the costs and time occupancy of travelling for these aspirants and enable higher chances of recruitment for youth.
Andhra Pradesh has viable land that could be utilised, efficiently and economically, for Railway Development Activities. This would cease the connection of the Vijayawada, Guntur, and Guntakal divisions with the Secunderabad zone adding to ease in traveling and transportation.
Albeit 4 years, there haven’t been any significant results from the Central Government towards providing a Separate Railway Zone for Andhra Pradesh, despite the persistent demand by the Telugu Desam Party. The project, primarily considered to be done in 2014-2019, has been hugely delayed. Vigorous protests and demands have been made by the public and the State Government of Andhra Pradesh. The same will continue to witness until a separate railway zone is granted in real-time by BJP.