South Coast Railway zone: Visakhapatnam operations to begin June 1; CPI calls it 40-year triumph

The Gazette notification establishing the Railway Zone with Visakhapatnam as its headquarters is a collective triumph of political parties, civil society and public organisations, J.V. Satyanarayana Murthy, Convener of the Railway Zone Sadhana Samithi and Communist Party of India (CPI) State Secretariat member, said on Tuesday (May 12, 2026).

Speaking at a media conference at the CPI office in Allipuram, he said the realisation of the South Coast Railway (SCoR) zone was the fruit of a relentless 40-year struggle by the people of North Andhra. He said the movement, driven by students, youth, women’s organisations and democratic advocates, had finally reached its goal, and that this was a shared regional achievement rather than a victory for any single party.

Recalling the intensity of the movement, Mr. Murthy said the ruling, opposition and left-wing parties had set aside their differences to form a common platform, which was key to making the long-cherished dream of North Andhra residents a reality. He said the announcement of operations commencing from Visakhapatnam starting June 1 was backed by the sacrifices of many leaders who faced arrests and legal hurdles during the agitation.

He thanked late leaders Kinjarapu Yerran Naidu and former MP Azeez Pasha, alongside other leaders such as Palla Srinivasa Rao; Daggubati Purandeswari; Kotla Surya Prakash Reddy; Ayyanna Patrudu; Konathala Ramakrishna; Mutthamsetti Srinivasa Rao; Gudivada Amarnath; P.V.N. Madhav; Botsa Jhansi; and Killi Kruparani.

He also acknowledged the efforts of local representatives and leaders, including Velagapudi Ramakrishna Babu; Ganababu; Vasupalli Ganesh Kumar; Malla Vijaya Prasad; Ch. Narasinga Rao; and Besetti Babji. He gave a special mention to retired railway employee Rama Rao, whose technical data proved valuable throughout the struggle.

Mr. Murthy called on everyone to continue working together to ensure the benefits of the new railway zone reached the grassroots level. The meeting was attended by CPI leaders A. Vimala; S.K. Rahiman; K. Satyanarayana; P. Chandrasekhar; and M. Paidiraju.