Participants at a railway adalat organised by the Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) on Sunday have stressed the need for merging the Mangaluru railway region with Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd., for the overall development of coastal Karnataka.
While MLC and Karnataka government’s representative to Southern Railway Ivan D’Souza reiterated the wish of the people of the region, KCCI representative to Southern Railway and Konkan Railway, Mohandas Prabhu, said it was high time the original plan of KRCL was brought into action. The detailed project report prepared by E. Sridharan, Mr. Prabhu said, had fixed the southern boundary of KRCL at Ullal and not at Thokur.
The New Mangalore Port is providing more than 80 per cent of the revenue to Southern Railway’s Palakkad division. If that region is brought under KRCL, it would have enough resources to double and electrify the Mangaluru-Mumbai (Thokur-Panvel) line thereby heralding overall economic development of the region, Mr. Prabhu said.
Udupi Railway Yatri Sangha President R.L. Dias suggested taking up new line survey between Nandikur-Karkala-Charmadi-Mudigere-Belur-Hassan so as to avoid Shiradi Ghat. Present restrictions on train operations on the ghat has been affecting introduction of new trains, he said.
Mr. D’Souza said he would strive hard to get the demands addressed at various levels of the railways and the State government.
He threatened to cut basic supplies to Mangaluru Junction Railway Station if the Southern Railway did not allow setting up of a prepaid autorickshaw counter within a fortnight.
Referring to the absence of railway officials at the adalat, he said he would propose action against them . The government was providing free land and half the costs for new projects and the officials were accountable to State too, said. Issues such as speeding up of Karwar-Mangaluru-Bengaluru night train, introducing more trains between Mangaluru-Bengaluru and Mangaluru-Mumbai too were raised.
Mumbain Railway Yatri Sangha Executive Secretary Oliver D’Souza, Paschima Karavali Railway Yatri Abhivriddhi Samithi President G. Hanumanth Kamath, KCCI president Nigam Vasani and Vice President Rammohan Pai Maroor and others were present.
