Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (MM/RD)
Mangalore, Dec 4: Union railway minister Laloo Prasad Yadav will be arriving in the city on Saturday, December 8 to inaugurate Mangalore - Bangalore now-converted broad-gauge railway line, said M Veerappa Moily, chairman of Union Administrative Reforms Commission.
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, December 4, he said that the demand has been put forth with Indian Railways (IR) to form separate Mangalore division for the convenience of the Mangaloreans, he added.
However, he has not clarified the time of inaugural of broad-gauge converted tracks. At the same time he added that 3 over-bridges will be built along the Mangalore and Bangalore rail route.
Speaking on the odd timings fixed for the Mangalore - Bangalore passenger train, he informed that he has asked the railway minister to change the timings of these trains.
Manganese Ore:
Mentioning about the bad conditions of national highways in coastal Karnataka, he opined that the overladen trucks transporting manganese ore were responsible for the ill state of the roads. The proper maintenance of road is impossible a task without restricting the plying of these trucks. Hence, the transport officers have been asked to control the overloaded trucks, he informed.
Meanwhile, the administrative process has been completed for the repairs of Shiradi ghat. But, the contractors have demanded 42% hike in the bid amount. The highway authorities have agreed to sanction this amount, as a special case, Moily continued.
Commenting on state's political scenario, he said that Karnataka needed a stable government. As a result of the unstable political situation, the state has lost thousands of crores of investment, he said.
Now, the BJP and JD (S) leaders have begun blaming each other, hurling corruption charges. There lies the truth in their allegations. Hence, a probe is essential to expose the truth, he urged.