Visakhapatnam Divisional Railway Users Consultative Committee (DRUCC) member and a former senior leader of the Railway Employees’ Union, Chalasani Gandhi, on Tuesday (July 21, 2026) asked the Railway Board to urgently resolve issues of service, seniority, promotions and transfers faced by thousands of employees in the Visakhapatnam Railway Division.
In a release, he said the South Coast Railway (SCoR) zone came into effect on June 1, 2026, and the erstwhile Waltair Division was reconstituted into the Visakhapatnam Division under South Coast Railway, while the Rayagada Division was formed by combining the Kottavalasa-Kirandul (K-K) and Koraput-Rayagada (K-R) railway lines under East Coast Railway.
Due to this reorganisation, about 18,000 employees of the Waltair Division were split into two groups. Of these, about 10,000 are continuing in the Visakhapatnam Division, while the remaining 8,000 are in the Rayagada Division.
Mr. Gandhi expressed concern that a lack of proper coordination between the SCoR and East Coast Railway officials had led to confusion over seniority, promotions and transfers, causing anxiety among the employees. He asked the Railway Board to take immediate action to find a permanent solution.
He suggested that, given the bifurcation of divisions, the Board should collect option forms from employees and take their views into consideration. He asked Railway Board Chairman Satish Kumar and Director General (HR) Aruna Nair to organise a joint meeting of the General Managers of South Coast Railway, Sandeep Mathur, and East Coast Railway, Rameshwar Phankwal, along with representatives of recognised railway unions.
He sought the immediate implementation of a Joint Procedure Order (JPO) or a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to provide clarity on employee transfers, promotions and seniority. He also wanted a dedicated help desk cell set up to address the grievances of employees in the Visakhapatnam and Rayagada divisions.
Published – July 21, 2026 03:50 pm IST
