Dakshina Kannada Lok Sabha Member Nalin Kumar Kateel on Thursday hoped the Railway Budget 2014-15 to be presented on July 8 would create an environment to facilitate creation of a separate Railway Division for Mangalore or at least attaching Mangalore region to Mysore Division of the South Western Railway.
He was speaking to presspersons after inaugurating the passenger reservation system counter and Lok Sabha Member’s office on the premises of Deputy Commissioner’s office here. He said his efforts to get “justice” to the region were bearing fruits; the Railways had agreed to provide halts to the two express trains running between Yeshwantpur and Karwar at Yedamangala from July 5, he said.
Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd. (KRCL), too, opened the camp office of its regional manager in Mangalore and the Mangalore Central-Bhatkal DEMU had been extended up to Madgaon following his efforts, Mr. Nalin said. He said he was hopeful of getting an intercity train between Kasaragod and Udupi via Mangalore Central and a passenger train between Mangalore Central and Subrahmanya Road Stations, he said.
The Lok Sabha Member would be available at his office on the Deputy Commissioner’s office premises from morning till evening every Tuesday. Mr. Nalin urged the people to make use of his office even during his absence to get their grievances redressed as the staff would be working between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on all working days.
He would also focus on improving the IT Park near Konaje by attracting more companies and setting up of a special agriculture zone in the region.
Station visit
Mr. Nalin visited the Mangalore Central Railway Station and asked the officials to keep the premises clean. On coming to know that the operator running the public toilet facility collects fee for urinals too, he directed the officials to levy a hefty fine on the operator.
The MP later visited the camp office of KRCL regional manager, opposite the Central railway station. Manager, Public Relations, Sudha Krishnamurthy, briefed Mr. Nalin about the activities in the office.
Mr. Nalin was curious to know when a full-fledged regional manager’s office would become functional on the premises.
MP to ask Uma Bharti to stop river diversion
Dakshina Kannada Lok Sabha Member Nalin Kumar Kateel, who has been opposing Nethravati diversion project, on Thursday said he would seek the intervention of Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti in the matter to direct the State government to halt all the works.
Speaking to presspersons after opening his new office here, Mr. Nalin said the project was being undertaken without conducting scientific studies about availability of water downstream. “Nethravati has been the lifeline of Dakshina Kannada and people are already affected due to paucity of water. Hence there is no question of allowing the river diversion projects,” he said. He has also told the central government not to set up the thermal power plant at Niddodi at the cost of fertile agriculture land.