Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Jul 17: A delegation of the railway passengers’ development committee here met minister of state for railways, Suresh Angadi, under the leadership of MP, Nalin Kumar Kateel, at New Delhi. The delegation handed over a memorandum, duly drawing the attention of the minister to the fact that a gazette notification had been issued by the railway board in 2004 to carve out Mangaluru from Palakkad division of southern railway, and bring the same under southwest division. It urged the minister to implement the said decision without further delay.

Documents were handed over to convince the minister to separate the area between Thokur station to Mangaluru Central Netravati, which is currently under Palakkad railway division. The minister promised to take suitable steps after holding discussions with the concerned.

Other demands made by the delegation included the train between the city and Bengaluru to run all the days via Shravanabelagola instead of three days via Mysuru. It drew the attention of the minister to the fact that work on fourth and fifth platforms at the central station in the city had not begun even though grant was released in the railway budget for the same three years ago.

The minister contacted Palkkad divisional railway manager over phone and asked him to fulfill the said demands. The minister also promised to take steps to restore Mangaluru - Miraj Mahalaxmi express train that had been temporarily withdrawn during gauge conversion work in1994. He also said he will look into the non-implementation of the decision to upgrade central station into international level. He also ordered the concerned to begin new railway route between Kaniyoor and Kanhangad with the support of Karnataka government.

President of the committee G Hanumanth Kamath, M Naresh Shenoy, Guruprasad and Sanjay Pai were present.