Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (SP)

Udupi, Jul 9: Speaking on the railway budget at the Lok Sabha, Lok Sabha member D V Sadanand Gowda criticized the railway ministry for delaying the running of the day-train between Mangalore and Bangalore. He said that the ministry has neglected the demand of the people of Karnataka to extend the night train between the two cities up to Karwar and criticized the department’s move to divert the train to Kannur in Kerala, purely for political considerations, adding that it was not at all need-based.

He demanded for extending the night train and also the proposed day-train between Mangalore and Bangalore to Karwar. Gowda also demanded for giving top priority to the laying of Hubli-Ankola-Karwar railway line. He also said that the people of Karnataka would not derive any benefit if the proposed express train between Mumbai and Karwar is not extended up to Mangalore.

As thousands of people visit Mumbai from Mangalore on a day-to-day basis, he felt, in the interests of the people of the coastal Karnataka, the said train should be extended to Mangalore. He wanted the railway minister to set right all these anomalies and include the proposed ammendments while replying to the discussions on budget proposals.  He accused the railway ministry of following in the footsteps of Lalu Prasad Yadav and not extending any benefit to Karnataka.

DVS pointed out that the 93 km railway line between Kadur-Chikmagalur-Sakleshpur has not been completed even after 12 years. The project requires Rs 45 crores more to be completed, but only five crore rupees has been allocated for it in the current budget and this has come as an disillusionment to the people of Chikmagalur, who were resting their hopes on this year's budget, he explained.

He also raised the topic of pending permanent measures to check sea erosion in the coast under rule 377 and said that the proposals forwarded in this respect by various states has been kept pending by the centre for the last several years.  The proposals for the construction of 49.875 kilometres of new protective walls at the coast and repairs of 24.95 kms of protective walls have been withheld by the centre without citing any reasons, he complained. Fishermen are losing thousands of acres of their lands besides several lives every year due to sea erosion, and the central government should come to the rescue of the fishermen by sanctioning these projects immediately, he urged.