The Hyderabad Karnataka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (HKCCI) has taken exception to what it called “a deliberate diversion and deviation of Yeshwantpur-Katra Superfast Weekly Express” to deny train facility to the people of Karnataka to Katra in Jammu.
In a letter faxed to Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu, a copy of which was released to the press here on Friday, HKCCI president Radhakrishna Raghoji and secretary Amarnath Patil said that the new train was sanctioned by the former Railway Minister M. Mallikarjun Kharge to enable the people of Karnataka, particularly those from the Hyderabad-Karnataka region, to get a direct train to Vaishno Devi Temple near Katra.
The train was originally scheduled to pass through Raichur, Wadi, and Kalaburagi.
However, the letter said that the railways had deliberately diverted the route and the train would now run via Secunderabad, Nagpur, Jhansi and Delhi. “This has been done to deprive Kannadigas of rail facility to the Vaishno Devi Temple.”
The HKCCI demanded that the Railway Minister restore the original route and threatened to launch an agitation if their demand was not met.
The train was originally scheduled to pass through Raichur, Wadi, and Kalaburagi
