South Coast Railway Zone headquarters to come up near Mudasarlova in Visakhapatnam

The 52-acre site, with the hills as backdrop and the reservoir in the foreground, is a much better alternative, say officials

The headquarters for the South Coast Railway (SCoR) Zone will be built at the scenic Mudasarlova area in Visakhapatnam, say railway officials.

The Detailed Project Report (DPR) had suggested the land allotted to the railways by the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC), near Mudasarlova, or the railway land in Wireless Colony as the two options for construction of the zonal office building.

Though officials had preferred the first site in view of the wide approach roads and sylvan surroundings, the legal tangles involved, made them go for the second option. There is a feeling among rail activists from the region and officials that a bigger site in a scenic place like Mudasarlova is preferable, instead of cramming it in a small site in the railway colony.

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw visited the site, where the headquarters building was originally planned at Wireless Colony, late on Friday night, and reportedly asked the accompanying officials if there was an alternative site. “The Railway Minister was not impressed by the location and wanted to know whether a better site is available. I informed him of the site near Mudasarlova, which already has wide approach roads, and is much bigger in area,” Divisional Railway Manager Anup Satpathy told The Hindu, when contacted.

“Mr. Vaishnaw wants a world-class zonal office for S Co R Headquarters in Visakhapatnam and instructed the officers concerned to expedite the work. A tender will be floated shortly,” he added.

The State government had allotted a 52-acre site to the Railways in lieu of the site taken from the latter in the past. Of this, 42 acres is free from encumbrance and the legal dispute was regarding 10 acres. The Railway Minister directed the Officer-on-Special Duty (OSD) Chandrasekhar to begin the tender process for construction of the building.

Meanwhile, a team of railway officials visited the site near Mudasarlova reservoir on Sunday. It’s learnt that some encroachers, who had reportedly occupied the site several years ago, were preventing the officials from taking up any activity. They had even booked SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Act at the local police station against an official in the past.