Bhubaneswar, May 6 (IANS). Indian Railways on Wednesday once again clarified that the construction of the South Coast Railway will not cause any loss to Odisha, and termed reports suggesting the contrary as misleading and malicious.
Officials said the clarification was issued in response to widely circulated reports claiming that Odisha would suffer significant losses due to the formation of the new South Coast Railway zone.
Railways rejected these claims as factually incorrect and alleged that they were being spread by individuals and groups with vested interests.
According to official information, the Visakhapatnam division of the newly formed South Coast Railway covers a 53-km stretch from Palasa to Ichchapuram, comprising seven stations – Palasa, Sumadevi, Mandasa Road, Baruva, Sompeta, Jhadupudi and Ichchapuram, all located in Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh.
Railways said this clearly proves that no part of Odisha is being transferred to Andhra Pradesh, making claims of territorial loss baseless.
Meanwhile, a total of 696 km of railway route, including Koraput-Singapore Road, Kothavalasa-Kirandul, Kuneru-Therubali and Gunupur-Paralakhemundi sections, will remain under the newly formed Rayagada division of East Coast Railway.
Railways reiterated that no part of Odisha is being brought under the administrative jurisdiction of Andhra Pradesh under any circumstances.
It also urged the public not to be misled by baseless and deliberately spread misinformation.
Let us inform that the Central Government has recently issued a gazette notification establishing the South Coast Railway Zone with headquarters at Visakhapatnam with effect from June 1, 2026.
After the restructuring of South Central Railway (SCR) and East Coast Railway (ECR), the new zone will include divisions like Guntakal, Guntur, Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam, thereby fulfilling the long pending demand of Andhra Pradesh.
However, the move has triggered protests in Odisha, with BJD, Congress, Left parties and several other opposition groups demanding immediate rollback of the decision to transfer the Palasa-Ichchapuram section to the South Coast Railways (SCOR).
–IANS
DKP/