Demand for immediate constitution of users panel for South Coast Railway

Image used for representational purposes. File | Photo Credit: H.S. Manjunath With the South Coast Railway (SCoR) Zone entering its sixth month of operation, senior railway trade union leader and Divisional Railway Users’ Consultative Committee (DRUCC) member Chalasani Gandhi has urged railway authorities to immediately constitute the Zonal Railway Users’ Consultative Committee (ZRUCC) headquartered in Visakhapatnam.In a release issued here, Mr. Gandhi noted that while the new zone was realised after nearly four decades of sustained struggle, it must evolve beyond an administrative establishment into an efficient, passenger-centric system. He emphasised that alongside infrastructure creation, adequate fund allocation, and technological upgrades, active public participation is crucial for strengthening the zone.Pointing out that DRUCCs are already functioning at the divisional level, he said establishing an apex zonal consultative body is indispensable to effectively represent regional aspirations and ground-level commuter grievances across all four divisions of SCoR—Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Guntur, and Guntakal.Mr. Gandhi stated that the ZRUCC, comprising railway officials, public representatives, subject experts, and user representatives, serves as a vital forum to deliberate on new railway lines, additional train services, extension of existing trains, station redevelopment, passenger amenities, safety, and cleanliness.Regular meetings of the committee would enable zonal authorities to take swift action on local issues while escalating broader policy and infrastructure matters to the Railway Board and the Ministry of Railways, he added, urging senior SCoR officials to initiate the process without further delay. Published - November 15, 2026 12:30 pm IST