Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (SP)

Mangalore, May 8: ‘Nadoja’ awardee, veteran journalist and social activist, Patil Puttappa, said on Friday May 7, that he is prepared to spearhead a campaign for the creation of separate railway divisions in the city and Gulbarga, to improve railway facilities to the coast, Gulbarga district and other north Karnataka regions, which have been facing step-motherly treatment from the railways. He was interacting with the media men during his participation in a seminar organized at Mangalore University about the works of V K Gokak, a Jnanpith awardee.

Puttappa, popularly known as ‘Papu’, expressed anger at the fact the city and Hubli-Dharwad have been neglected by the railways.  He expressed the hope that the broad gauge railway line between Ankola and Hubli will materialize shortly, as the opposition of the environmentalists to this project has died down, and the legal impediments have been done away with. He noted that the union environment minister, Jairam Ramesh, too has shown interest in laying this line.  “Till this route is completed, the presently available lines can be used to connect the city with north Karnataka districts,” he said. 

He expressed the apprehension that even if a separate division is created in the city, it might be linked to the railway zone proposed to be created in Kerala, noting that minister of state for railways hails from that state. He solicited the support of M Veerappa Moily to ensure that Mangalore division, once created, is brought under South Westeran Railway (SWR), and asked union labour minister, Mallikarjun Kharge, to put his weight behind the creation of a separate divison in Gulbarga and bring it under SWR. Puttappa noted that the fact that the city falls under Palgahat division in Kerala, and that Gulbarga is under Solapur division in Maharashtra, are working to the disadvantage of the development of railway services in these regions.