Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Jun 4: It has now come to light that the Railway Board had given its approval 15 years ago for the proposal to transfer the central railway station here and also the stretch up to Thokur station which is currently under Konkan Railway Corporation, to southwest railway division. Railway activists, who realized the fact now, have urged the Railway Board to give official recognition to its old decision by issuing notification to that effect.

During the period the government headed by Atal Bihari Vajpayee was ruling the centre in 2003, the then railway minister Nitish Kumar, had visited the city. Considering the strong demand put forth by various organizations, he had agreed to bring the railway area between the central station and Thokur under southwest division. The Railway Board had upheld this proposal in the same year.

As the stretch between the city and Hassan was being converted into broad gauge then, it was decided to issue gazette notification after this work came to an end. The work was completed and trains began to move on broad gauge in 2008 but the gazette notification was never issued. Perhaps many had either no knowledge of it or forgotten about it.

The chief executive officer of southwest railways had, through a letter dated July 2, 2014, reminded the board about the fact that gazette notification in respect of the above decision was pending.

Currently, the central station here happens to be the last station under southern railway. There have often been complaints that development of the region has suffered because of the fact that this area falls under southern station. Once this is brought under south western railway, the problems will hopefully be resolved, and there is a possibility of separate Mangaluru railway division coming into existence in course of time.