Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Jun 29: The long-pending demand for the creation of separate railway division here or to bring this region under the south-western railway has received a setback. In his official response to the demand in the Rajya Sabha, railway minister Piyush Goyal, asserted that the region here would not be separated from Palakkad division, which falls under southern railway.

The minister was giving reply to a question raised by former minister and Rajya Sabha member from Kerala, Elamaram Kareem, on Friday June 28. In reply to Kareem's query whether there is a proposal to separate Mangaluru from Palakkad vision, the minister answered in the negative, adding that no such proposal is before the railway ministry..

At present, about 30 km stretch till Thokur falls under Palakkad division. This includes New Mangalore port route. Although the length of tracks is short here, this brings handsome revenue to the railways. Therefore, it is said, Palakkad division is not inclined for the proposal to separate Mangaluru from its jurisiction.

The railway board had passed an order 15 years back to bring the portion of the railway from the central station at Mangaluru till Thokur under the southwestern railway by separating it from southern railway. The current railway minister's response has made it clear that the government does not have any plans to uphold the said order. The said order had been passed when Nitish Kumar was the railway minister at the centre. But gazette notification was not issued then. The board, noting that the Mangaluru - Hassan stretch was undergoing gauge conversion to broad gauge, had ordered to notify the above change immediately after the gauge conversion was completed. Even though senior southwestern railway officials wrote to the railway board in 2014 and reminded it about the said decision and the need to issue gazette notification, which would have completed the transfer, it was not done.

Southwestern railway has its headquarters at Hubballi. If Mangaluru is brought under it, the city will be the starting point for the division, and many new trains could be introduced from here. Southern railway headquarters is at Chennai, which is located far away and therefore getting administrative problems resolved becomes difficult.