Railway quarters to accommodate Navy personnel

Visakhapatnam : The Waltair Division of East Coast Railway (ECoR) is stepping forward to contribute its part to the Indian Navy.

Facilitating adequate staff quarters appears to be a challenging task for the Eastern Naval Command which is playing a key role in strengthening national maritime security.

Meanwhile, the Indian railway has established a number of quarters in Visakhapatnam for its employees working in various wings. However, a majority of them have made Visakhapatnam their home and shifted to their own residences. Following which, several quarters have been left vacant for quite a while.

Owing to the lack of proper maintenance, many of such vacant railway quarters are in a dilapidated condition. With no revenue coming forth from the facility, their maintenance cost has also turned out to be an added burden to the division.

In his recent visit to the quarters, Divisional Railway Manager Anup Satpathy expressed concern over hundreds of quarters lying vacant in Vadlapudi. Apart from being in a dilapidated condition, such isolated quarters have also become a hub for anti-social activities.

In order to place a check on this, the DRM has come up with an alternative plan. As a part of it, the Waltair Division officials held talks with the navy officials. "After seeking permission from the railway board, proposals have been submitted to utilise the vacant railway quarters for the navy personnel for a nominal rent. With the maintenance of the quarters to be taken care by the navy, the proposal will also aid in making the premises more secured and free of anti-social activities," shares Anup Satpathy with The Hans India. With the proposal likely to take wings next, the move will certainly help both Waltair Division and ENC in more ways than one.