Bhubaneswar, May 6: The Indian Railways has reiterated that the construction of the South Coast Railway will not adversely affect any part of Odisha, dismissing reports suggesting otherwise as misleading and malicious.
Officials stated that this clarification was issued in response to widely circulated claims that the formation of the new railway zone would significantly harm Odisha. The Railways rejected these assertions as factually incorrect, alleging they were propagated by individuals and groups with vested interests.
According to official information, the newly formed South Coast Railway includes a 53-kilometer extension from Palasa to Ichchapuram in the Visakhapatnam division, comprising seven stations located in Andhra Pradesh‘s Srikakulam district. These stations are Palasa, Sumadevi, Mandasa Road, Baruva, Sompeta, Jhadupudi, and Ichchapuram.
The Railways emphasized that this clearly demonstrates that no part of Odisha is being transferred to Andhra Pradesh, rendering claims of regional loss baseless. Meanwhile, a total of 696 kilometers of railway routes, including the Koraput-Singapur Road, Kothavalasa-Kirandul, Kuneru-Therubuli, and Gunupur-Paralakhemundi sections, will remain under the newly established Rayagada division of the East Coast Railway.
The Railways reiterated that under no circumstances will any part of Odisha be brought under the administrative jurisdiction of Andhra Pradesh. They urged the public not to be misled by unfounded and deliberately spread misinformation.
It is noteworthy that the central government recently issued a gazette notification establishing the South Coast Railway zone, headquartered in Visakhapatnam, effective June 1, 2026. Following the reorganization of the South Central Railway (SCR) and East Coast Railway (ECR), the new zone will include divisions such as Guntakal, Guntur, Vijayawada, and Visakhapatnam, fulfilling a long-standing demand from Andhra Pradesh.
However, this move has sparked protests in Odisha, with parties including BJD, Congress, leftist groups, and several other opposition factions demanding the immediate withdrawal of the decision to transfer the Palasa-Ichchapuram section to the South Coast Railway (SCoR).