VIJAYAWADA/VISAKHAPATNAM: Amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will arrive in Visakhapatnam on Friday to address a public meeting in the evening at Railway Exhibition Grounds at New Colony. He will reach Port City at around 6.30 pm.
As many as 2,300 police personnel have been deployed as part of elaborate security arrangements for the PM’s visit. City Police Commissioner Mahesh Chandra Laddha said peaceful protests will be allowed only at the designated place, Dharna Chowk, and they will not allow any protests at the meeting venue.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister and TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu, who earlier asked his party cadre to register their protest against PM’s visit by wearing black shirts and releasing black balloons, shot off a four-page letter to Modi seeking answers to 17 issues pertaining to the State.
Outlining the ‘injustice’ meted out to the State, Naidu termed the announcement of South Coast Railway Zone by Union Minister for Railways Piyush Goyal as a ‘revenge of the Centre towards AP’.
“The scrapping of 172-year-old Waltair division and causing a revenue loss of Rs 6.500 crore to AP reveals the vengeful attitude of the Centre towards AP,’’ Naidu said and added that the BJP-led NDA government once again deceived the State by diverting freight revenue to Rayagada division and leaving the new South Coast zone with meagre passenger revenue.
“The Central government once again hurt the sentiments of North Andhra people by hurriedly announcing SCoR zone without any mention about Railway Recruitment Board,’’ Naidu said.
Meanwhile, in Visakhapatnam, inspite of the announcement of railway zone, dharnas and rallies were held on Thursday to register protest against Modi’s visit to the city. Hoardings have come up at several junctions in the city with slogans ‘Go back Modi’ and demanding special category status to Andhra Pradesh.
Meanwhile, left parties and TDP are gearing up to hold black flag demonstrations in various parts of the city on Friday morning. The indefinite hunger strike by Pratyeka Hoda and Vibhajana Hameela Sadhana Samiti JAC in association with employees association at the Gandhi statue near GVMC office entered the third day.
Speaking at the hunger strike camp, Sadhana Samiti president Chalasani Srinivas said that the Centre was again trying to deceive people. He demanded inclusion of Waltair division in the new zone. He said the BJP government had conceded the demand for zone with an eye on elections. TDP workers sat on a relay fast at the Dharna Chowk.
Speaking on the occasion, MLA Vasupalli Ganesh Kumar said they would hold a dharna with 5,000 people as part of the ‘Modi Go Back’ stir on Friday. He demanded that the Centre reconsider its proposal to scrap the Waltair division.
Activists of CPI, CPM and Jana Sena will also take out a rally from GVMC office to the railway station. CPM State secretary Madhu and CPI State secretary Ramakrishna will join the rally.
Reconsider Waltair decision: Parties
Uttarandhra Rakshana Vedika conducted an all-party meeting to discuss emerging situation following announcement of a new railway zone. The round table urged the Centre to reconsider the proposal to merge part of Waltair division with Vijayawada. He said 125-year-old division should be retained at least with north Andhra areas and be included in the new division.
If Srikakulam and Vizanagaram are not included in the new zone it will be a gross injustice to the people of two backward districts. The round table decided to write to the Railway Minister and the Prime Minister in this regard. Vedika convener SS Shiva Sankar said the move would deprive the backward areas of the benefits. CPI leader JV Satyanarayana Murthy demanded that the Centre review its decision on Waltair division.