Members of the Shivamogga Nagarika Hitarakshana Vedikegala Okkuta staged a protest here on Saturday demanding upgrading of the railway connectivity in the district.
Addressing the protest meet, K.V. Vasanth Kumar, secretary of the vedike, said that the Union government had announced in its budget that the rail link between Shivamogga and Harihar would be established. The survey on this route had also been completed. The commissioning of this project would provide the people of Malnad region with an easy access to the north and central Karnataka. He urged the government to release funds necessary for taking up the work on Shivamogga-Harihar railway project at the earliest.
The survey work on providing rail link between Shivamogga-Shikaripur-Rani
bennur and the doubling of the track between Shivamogga and Birur should be completed.
The Railway Ministry should announce that the rail link between Talaguppa with Konkan Railway and introduce a direct train between Shivamogga and Tirupati and between Shivamogga and Chennai in the next railway budget, he said.
To ensure hassle-free vehicular movement between Shivamogga and Holehonnur along National Highway 13, a railway underpass should be constructed near the Tunga bridge in the city. The approach road to Shivamogga railway station was in a bad condition owing to recent heavy rains here. The Department of Railways should release funds for road repairs, he said. The protesters formed a human chain near Lakshmi theatre. As a result, the vehicular movement was paralysed for some time.
Functionaries of the vedike S.S. Jyotiprakash, Ashok Yadav and T.R. Ashwathnarayan took part in the protest.
