In a representation submitted to the DRM, the employees said Para 9.3 of the DPR provided for willingness/options to be obtained from staff for postings in the Visakhapatnam and Rayagada divisions. They protestors sought protection of seniority and lien, and demanded a halt to fresh postings pending finalisation of the JPO. Family members also visited the South Coast Railway (SCoR) zonal headquarters in the VMRDA Deck Building, Siripuram, and submitted a similar representation to the authorities. Bholanath, divisional secretary of the All India Loco Running Staff Association, Visakhapatnam Division, said the bifurcation between South Coast Railway and East Coast Railway had left many employees stationed away from their families. Chalasani Gandhi, senior retired railway trade union leader, said that employees who once were part of a single seniority group now stood divided.