Udupi: It has been brought to our notice that the South Western Railway will discontinue running the Yeshvantpur-Mangaluru-Karwar tri-weekly day train from Mangaluru to Karwar shortly. Regarding this we had a Railway Association members meeting at Byndoor on December 3. In the meeting it has been decided to go over to Hubballi and meet the General Manager, South Western Railway, Hubballi and request him not to cancel the said train, said R. L. Dias, Railway Yathri Sangha Udupi.
Speaking to mediapersons at Udupi Press Club on Wednesday, December 7, Dias said that the particular train is delayed at every station beyond its scheduled time and therefore never reaches the destinations on time. Therefore, we have prepared a tentative changed time table, he said.
Bengaluru-Mangaluru day train was sanctioned by Sadananda Gowda in 2013 when he was a Railway Minister. But the train is not yet started. Therefore we filed a writ in the Karnataka High Court. But the lawyer suggested by one of our members was unsuccessful in pleading and getting justice. Nalin Kumar Kateel who is the MP of Sadananda Gowda’s party is not bothered about this train which is very sad, he said.
Yashwantpur-Mangaluru weekly train one was sanctioned in 2013. At that time Mallikarjun Kharge was the Railway Minister. The train should have come to Mangaluru via Hassan Jn. But Mallikarjuna Kharge stabbed in the back of the people of Mangaluru by inaugurating this train and allowing trains route as Salem-Kannur-Mangaluru. Then, Mangaluru MP objected to this, but he then forgot the matter which is very unfortunate, said Dias.
Speaking about forming of Mangaluru Division, he said that when Konkan Railway was completed in 1998, its jurisdiction was up to Ullal Bridge. The Konkan Railway constructed the 1.2 kms railway line from Ullal bridge to Kankanady, the now Mangaluru junction. But southern Railway took it over. Railway line should be sanctioned in the parliament. But southern Railway has forcibly done it without sanction, he said.
There is a priority demand to form Mangaluru Division from Ullal Bridge to Madgaon under Konkan Railway. The MPs of Kerala State are so powerful that they do not allow the division to be formed and our MPs are doing nothing on this issue, he said.
Nearly Rs 450 crores of yearly income from Mangaluru Port and other industries go to the Southern Railway. If Mangaluru division is formed under Konkan Railway, it will be able to double the Mangaluru- Mumbai Railway line with this income. MPs from Mangaluru and Udupi-Chikkamagaluru should take up the matter seriously, he urged.
Ramachandra Acharya, John Rebello and others were present.
