Ashok Chavan Urges Centre To Merge Nanded Division With Central Railway

06 May 2026 CW Team

The demand coincides with the ongoing process to create a new South Coast Railway zone, a restructuring that is expected to reassign three of the six divisions currently under South Central Railway (SCR). Under proposals discussed in official corridors, the remaining divisions, including the Nanded division, are proposed to continue under Secunderabad, a configuration the petitioner has questioned as inconsistent with regional realities. Chavan has called for a formal review of the proposed distribution to ensure coherent administration and equitable resource allocation.

He has argued that the Nanded division has suffered persistent neglect while attached to SCR, citing delays in key infrastructure projects such as flyovers, subways and essential station amenities and asserting that timetable planning has tended to favour commuters based in Telangana over those in Maharashtra. The submissions document project slippage and claim that local passenger convenience has been affected by scheduling priorities that do not align with Maharashtrian travel patterns. The case presented stresses that administrative oversight and proximity to the CR headquarters would enable more responsive management.

The issue has been pending for several years and the current restructuring, he contends, offers an appropriate opportunity to resolve it without further delay. He has sought timely intervention from the ministry to reassign the Nanded division to CR so that it aligns with other major Maharashtra divisions, which include Mumbai, Pune, Solapur, Bhusawal and Nagpur under Central Railway. The matter now awaits formal consideration by the relevant authorities.

Ashok Chavan, former Maharashtra chief minister and Member of Parliament, has urged the union government to merge the Nanded railway division (Nanded division) with the Mumbai?headquartered Central Railway (CR), arguing that administrative and geographical considerations justify the change. He has written to the union railway minister and has held detailed discussions by telephone with the state chief minister about the matter. The appeal frames the transfer as a corrective measure to address long standing anomalies in zone alignment. The demand coincides with the ongoing process to create a new South Coast Railway zone, a restructuring that is expected to reassign three of the six divisions currently under South Central Railway (SCR). Under proposals discussed in official corridors, the remaining divisions, including the Nanded division, are proposed to continue under Secunderabad, a configuration the petitioner has questioned as inconsistent with regional realities. Chavan has called for a formal review of the proposed distribution to ensure coherent administration and equitable resource allocation. He has argued that the Nanded division has suffered persistent neglect while attached to SCR, citing delays in key infrastructure projects such as flyovers, subways and essential station amenities and asserting that timetable planning has tended to favour commuters based in Telangana over those in Maharashtra. The submissions document project slippage and claim that local passenger convenience has been affected by scheduling priorities that do not align with Maharashtrian travel patterns. The case presented stresses that administrative oversight and proximity to the CR headquarters would enable more responsive management. The issue has been pending for several years and the current restructuring, he contends, offers an appropriate opportunity to resolve it without further delay. He has sought timely intervention from the ministry to reassign the Nanded division to CR so that it aligns with other major Maharashtra divisions, which include Mumbai, Pune, Solapur, Bhusawal and Nagpur under Central Railway. The matter now awaits formal consideration by the relevant authorities.

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