Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru/Kundapur (SP)
Mangaluru/Kundapur, Dec 19: A delegation led by BJP vice president and Shivamogga MP, B S Yeddyurappa, met union railway minister Suresh Babu and extracted from him an assurance to merge Mangaluru-Thokur section of the railways, which is under Southern Railway at present, with Konkan Railway.
The delegation which met Suresh Prabhu in New Delhi on Thursday apprised the minister about injustice faced by the Konkan region because of separation of Mangaluru-Thokur section from its control.
The delegation said that the minister has promised to merge Mangaluru-Thokur section of railways with Konkan Railway within a week. As a result, a separate Mangaluru railway division will be created.
The delegation comprised Pashchima Karavali Railway Yatrikara Abhivruddhi Samiti vice president, Rajeev Gaonkar, and Mookambika Railway Yatri Sangha Byndoor president, Venkatesh Kaini.
A writ petition had earlier been filed in the state high court by Rajeev Gaonkar and Hanumanth Kamath seeking merger of Mangaluru-Thokur section of railway with Konkan Railways. The high court had disposed off the writ petition, asking the petitioner to approach railway ministry and Railway Board with this demand.
The benefits accruing to Mangaluru once the new division comes up is that Mangaluru will be the starting point for Konkan-bound trains, new jobs will be created as Konkan Railways has a policy of offering jobs to family of land losers, awarding of contracts for facilities will be decided at Mangaluru, which will benefit locals, decision making like increasing frequency of existing trains, introduction of new trains etc, will be faster once entire coast of state comes under Konkan Railways. It is thought that it will also facilitate track doubling work to be undertaken in Konkan section of the railway.
MP Nalin Kateel meets railway minister, demands separate railway division for Mangaluru
Dakshina Kannada MP Nalin Kumar Kateel also met union railway minister Suresh Prabhu on Thursday December 18 and handed over a petition, urging him to announce creation of separate railway division for Mangaluru, a demand that has been in the limbo since decades, in the forthcoming railway budget.
Kateel reminded the minister that in spite of earlier assurances, the task of separating Mangaluru from Palakkad division and making it into an independent division has not been met. Kateel was accompanied by 'Namo Brigade' founder, Mangalpady Naresh Shenoy, and Rashriya Swayamsevak Sangh leader, K Radhakrishna Bhakta.
Kateel asked the minister to bring Kasargod under Mangaluru division, and then include the newly created division under south western railway zone having its head quarters at Hubli. He mentioned that various problems are faced because of the fact that Palakkad division falls under southern railway which has its headquarters at Chennai.
The other demands in the petition include upgradation of Subrahmanya station, developing Mangalore Central into a world-class station, upgradation of several other stations, widening of railway bridges, building of over or under bridges at level crossings, introduction of several new trains etc.