Udayavani
Mangalore, Aug 25: When the delegation led by Mangalore MP and State BJP president D V Sadananda Gowda met Lalu Prasad Yadav, he had promised to attend the function marking the inaugural run of the much-awaited Mangalore-Bangalore train after the monsoon session of Parliament ends on September 10.
The Union Railway Minister had declared that passenger train services would become fully operational from the end of September. But, SWR General Manager Praveen Kumar informed reporters in Bangalore on August 22 in clear terms that passenger train services would begin only after October 2.
Railway Safety Commissioner P K Sen, inspected Hassan-Mangalore section of railway line in April and set conditions before giving the final clearance. The compliance of conditions would not take more than week, Sen had said.
SWR GM Praveen Kumar who visited Mangalore on May 7 told reporters that their priority is to start train as quickly as possible. Even after meeting powers-that-be by no less an ordinary delegation, the project remains a mirage.
A 'Train' of Headlines and Deadlines: