Railway unions oppose shifting of freight crew depot HQ of Vijayawada depot
VIJAYAWADA: Major employees’ unions in the Railways that include SCRES, SCRMU, AILRSA and AISC & STREA on Wednesday expressed their resentment and anguish against the proposal for making Kondapalli the new headquarters of freight crew of Vijayawada depot and the reopening of Dornakal depot, as the families of the running staff who have been living in-and-around Vijayawada for the last decade will be bound to suffer.
Addressing a press conference here, South Central Railway Mazdoor Union (SCRMU) branch secretary G Vijaya Kumar said that the freight crew depot has been functioning in the city since 2008 and the strength of employees stands at around 500, including the loco pilots (LP) and assistant loco pilots (ALP). He asked, “The crew depot has secured more performance shields and awards in comparison to any other crew depot under SCR. Still, how can the authorities concerned shift the headquarters from Vijayawada to Kondapalli, which is nearly 25 km away from the city?”
Disclosing their future course of action, he said that representations were given to the divisional railway manager and general manager over the matter. Apart from that, they were also planning to stage massive agitations against the decision of shifting the headquarters and reopening of the Dornakal depot.
SCRES branch secretary M Srinivasa Rao, AISC & STREA branch secretary TC Kasthuraiah were also present.