Protests held in Vizag over government’s failure to allocate funds for the special railway zone

The opposition parties in Andhra Pradesh staged protests in Visakhapatnam over the centre’s failure to make an announcement on the formation of the special railway zone in the state. The opposition leaders claimed that the Modi government, during the 2014 elections, had promised a lot from Andhra Pradesh but has failed to fulfill many of them.

CPI(M) leader V.S.Padmanabha Raju said the government, even after completing nearly 4 years at the centre, has failed to keep up the promises made to the state. He said that the state’s youngsters, who were expecting jobs, have been handed over a major disappointment. Also, while the Prime Minister announced a Railway University to his own state, he has fallen short of announcing the much-awaited railway zone, with Visakhapatnam as its headquarters, to Andhra Pradesh. Mr. Raju added that the Chandrababu government in the state had also failed in exerting pressure on the centre to get the promises fulfilled. He said that people and parties should unite in order to achieve the goals which are meant for the state’s benefit.

The protests were staged at the city’s railway station and in front of the Gandhi Statue near GVMC.

It has also been reported that the TDP leaders and politicians of other parties were unhappy at the government’s ‘raw deal’ to Andhra Pradesh. They have expressed disappointment by saying that the Union Budget didn’t allocate sufficient funds to Andhra Pradesh and has “thrown cold water on the people’s aspirations”.