Political parties to intensify protests for railway zone

Visakhapatanam: Agitations to demand a separate railway zone with Vizag as the headquarters will be intensified by involving various sections of the society from northern Andhra Pradesh, said speakers at a round table meet organised by the Uttarandhra Ikya Vedika here on Saturday. They said the railway zone was a right of the north Andhra People which has been denied to them for many decades.

The round table meet was attended by various trade unions, members of all political parties and other associations. Speakers demanded that the central government must take immediate action to approve the railway zone that was promised in the AP Reorganisation Act.

Uttarandhra Ikya Vedika president S Siva Sankar said they were chalking out plans to intensify the agitation by involving all party leaders. "We would take up a novel protest from April 25 to May 13 when Parliament will be in session and try to get an announcement in this regard. An action plan for this would be prepared in a day or two," he said.

Meanwhile, Writers' Academy president VV Ramana Murthy advised the protesters to widen the agitation to all the three districts of north Andhra and set up a committee in each mandal of these districts to carry on the protests on a daily basis. "Agitations should be conducted at various places to put pressure on the ruling party. Awareness about the importance of the railway zone should be created among the public and students should be involved in the agitations," he suggested.

YSRCP district president Gudiwada Amarnath, CPM state leader Ch Narsinga Rao, CPI state assistant secretary JV Satyanarayana Murthy and Praja Spandana president CS Rao said a protest should be conducted at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi.