Activists of the Railway Horata Samiti staged a protest in Sagar on Saturday seeking strengthening of railway connectivity to Sagar taluk.
Addressing the protest meet, novelist Na. D’Souza, who is the honorary president of the samiti, said that although the Department of Railways had spent Rs. 250 crore for completing the gauge conversion work along the Shivamogga-Talaguppa lane, its benefits had not fully reached the people of Malnad.
Sagar taluk was dotted with several tourist places like Jog, Sigandur, Keladi and Ikkeri. It was necessary to extend the services of the Bangalore-Shivamogga intercity train up to Sagar and Talaguppa to provide easy access to the tourists. Direct train services between Talaguppa and Bengaluru would benefit the people of the neighbouring Hosanagar, Sorab and Sirsi taluks and give a boost to commercial activities in the Malnad region. In addition, the Talaguppa-Shivamogga passenger train should be extended up to Bengaluru. In spite of the residents of Sagar taluk submitting several memorandums to the officials concerned, no action had been initiated so far, he said. Basic amenities like drinking water, toilet, seating facilities at the Jambagaru railway station in Sagar were in poor condition, he said and urged the officials to immediately release funds to address the problems at the railway stations in Jambagaru and other rural areas in Sagar taluk.
U.J. Mallikarjun, president of the samiti, urged the Union government to link Talaguppa with Konkan railway by commissioning a railway lane between Talaguppa and Honnavar. The Railway ministry had granted administrative approval for the project. A survey was also conducted for the purpose. As the railway line of the proposed project would pass through dense forest area, clearance from the Ministry of Environment and Forest was awaited, he said. The ticket reservation services at Jambagaru railway station should be extended up to 1.30 p.m. , he said.
