Prime Minister Narendra Modi inducting former Karnataka Chief Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda in the Union Cabinet has come as a boost for the Dakshina Kannada unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which promised the formation of a separate Mangalore railway division.
The party MP Nalin Kumar Kateel had been vocal on the formation of the division by carving out Mangalore railway areas from out of the Palakkad division of the Southern Railway. Soon after the results of Lok Sabha election were out on May 16, Mr. Kateel said that his immediate priority would be forming the division.
Prathap Simha Nayak, president, Dakshina Kannada unit of the BJP told The Hindu that whether Mr. Gowda got railway portfolio or not the party would push for the railway division through Mr. Kateel and Mr. Gowda.
With Mr. Gowda in the Cabinet now it would be easy for the party to fulfil the promise made in its election manifesto for the district, he said.
Mr. Kateel was probably the first Member of Parliament from Mangalore (erstwhile Dakshina Kannada) to convene quarterly meeting with senior railway officials, from Konkan railway, South Western Railway and Southern Railway, to discuss and try to address pending railway issues during his first five-year stint.
G. Hanumantha Kamath, president, Nagarika Hitarakshana Samiti, said that expectations of people from Dakshina Kannada on Mr. Gowda and Mr. Kateel were high.
The new government should take steps to review a tripartite agreement which is said to be a hindrance in operating more passenger trains between Mangalore and Bangalore, he said.
The agreement was among Hassan Mangalore Rail Development Company Ltd., floated to undertake gauge conversion of the line, the railways and the State government.
Mr. Kamath said that more facilities to passengers should be provided at Mangalore Central and Mangalore Junction stations.
