Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (SP)
Mangalore, Nov 21: President of West Coast Railway Passenger Development Committee, Hanumanth Kamath, has alleged that the railways had taken a decision at the Inter Railway Time Table Conference (IRTTC) held at Bangalore on January 27, 2009, to extend the night train to city from Bangalore up to Karwar. In support of his claim, he has presented a copy of the minutes of the said conference of IRTTC, obtained under the Right to Information Act, where a decision on the time schedule for running the train up to Karwar, was taken. Officials however, have remarked that no decision was taken at the Board level on this decision.
He has pointed out that the train has been diverted to Kannur in Kerala instead of Karwar, although it does not serve much purpose, and in spite of the fact that there was no demand for it. Kamath has alleged that this decision, which is in violation of the earlier decision of the railways, was taken because of political interference.
He has informed that a delegation of the Committee will meet the railway minister at Delhi to demand justice. If the railway finds it impossible to change the decision, the delegation will prevail on the minister to run the train up to Karwar on four days in a week, and to Kannur on the remaining three days. Alternatively, he has suggested to split the 18-compartment train into two trains of nine compartments each on reaching Mangalore, and to run them to Karwar and Kannur respectively.