BJD, Cong furious over bifurcation of East Coast Railway to create new zone headquartered at Vizag

Bhubaneswar, Feb 28: Odisha's ruling BJD and opposition Congress on Thursday strongly criticised the Centre's decision to bifurcate the the Bhubaneswar-headquartered East Coast Railway to create a new zone with its headquarters at Andhra Pradesh's Visakhapatnam.

The Railway Ministry on Wednesday created the new zone -- South Coast Railway -- giving it a portion of the Waltair division of the East Coast Railway. The portion of Waltair division taken away will now be part of the Vijayawada division, Railways sources said here.

Terming the Centre's action a "conspiracy", Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee president Niranjan Patnaik accused the BJP-led Central government of discriminating against the state.

Patnaik threatened the Congress will launch an agitation against the decision. BJD spokesperson Sasmit Patra said, "It is a betrayal with the people of Odisha. They will give a befitting reply to the BJP for working against the state's interest."

The BJP, however, maintained the new south coast zone was formed as per item 8 of schedule 13 (Infrastructure) of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014. "Ask Congress leaders whether the previous UPA government had not planned to bifurcate the East Coast Railway Zone," said BJP spokesman Golak Mohapatra.

PTI