Media Release
Mumbai, Jul 27: The Jayashreekrishna Parisara Premi Samiti (Regd), a non-governmental organisation working for the development of Karnataka’s coastal region for the past 25 years, organised a public meeting in Mumbai to discuss the growing challenges faced by passengers travelling on the Konkan Railway route, particularly between Mumbai and Mangaluru.
The meeting, held on July 20 at Pejawar Math, Santacruz East, highlighted concerns over increasing thefts and other criminal incidents on trains, shortage of services, and the persistent difficulty in securing confirmed railway tickets due to high demand. The committee also resolved to pursue enhanced passenger safety measures and the introduction of a Vande Bharat Sleeper service between Mumbai and Mangaluru.
A memorandum outlining these concerns has been submitted to the union railway minister and other concerned union ministers by the committee under the leadership of founder Tonse Jayakrishna A Shetty, president Nityananda Kotian, and district committee members.
Addressing the gathering, founder Tonse Jayakrishna A Shetty said the committee had urged the railway ministry to strengthen security arrangements on trains operating between Mumbai and Mangaluru and introduce a Vande Bharat sleeper train on the route. He said the railway minister had responded positively to the proposal and expressed hope that the central government would act on the requests at the earliest.
Shetty also appreciated the contributions of former union defence minister George Fernandes towards Konkan Railway and noted that union ministers had acknowledged the committee’s efforts. Referring to the increasing number of thefts and criminal activities reported on the Matsyagandha Express, he said the issue had been brought to the attention of the Central Government for immediate intervention.
Committee president Nityananda Kotian stressed the need to prioritise passenger safety on long-distance trains, particularly the Matsyagandha Express. He also called for the introduction of an additional Matsyagandha service if necessary, pointing out that passengers often fail to obtain confirmed reservations even when booking two months in advance.
He urged members of the committee and the coastal Karnataka community to work together in creating greater awareness about railway safety and other travel-related issues affecting passengers on the Konkan Railway route.
Advocate D K Shetty, advocate R M Bhandari, Dr Surendra Kumar Hegde, Ashok Suvarna, Kallige Dayasagar Chouta, Chitrapu Lakshmana Poojary, Chitrapu K M Kotian, Suma Poojary and Girish Salian also addressed the gathering. They appealed to the government to resolve the long-pending issues affecting passengers from the coastal Karnataka region travelling on Konkan Railway services.
Honorary treasurer Sadananda Acharya also shared his views during the meeting. Committee spokesperson Kallige Dayasagar Chouta compered the programme and delivered the vote of thanks.
The meeting was attended by office-bearers, advisors, committee members and a large number of Tulu and Kannada-speaking community members residing in Mumbai.