Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (SP)
Mangalore, Feb 18: MP, Nalin Kumar Kateel, said that quarterly meetings involving officials from Konkan Railway and Mysore and Palghat divisions of the department of railways, will be convened to settle and address issues relating to railway operations in the region. He was speaking to reporters after holding a meeting with the district deputy commissioner, commissioner of the city corporation, National Highways Authority of India, and the railways at the Circuit House here on Thursday February 17.
The MP felt that this will give added impetus to the efforts being made to make the railway operations in the region more efficient. The meeting had been called with the specific aim of forming a separate Mangalore railway division, and to remove obstacles if any towards this end. Kumar said that at present, the issue of building of railway over-bridges at Adyar and Kankanady Padil in the city, as well as the level crossing problems near B C Road are being taken up.
The railway officials belonging to Palghat division have agreed to visit various places in and around the city, to get first hand account of the problems faced by the citizens because of railway lines, on February 26. Regular discussions will continue to be held with the officials concerned for speeding up of railway works, he added. Replying to questions posed by the reporters, he said that a demand has been made for the introduction of another train between Mangalore and Bangalore, and to extend the same to Karwar.
It is learnt that discussions also were held about the Bykampady bridge, where traffic blocks have become the order of the day, as the railways have not given attention to building a new bridge there. He said that a consensus has been arrived at to hand over the complete management of the bridge to the highways authority, and to maintain the same with the help of New Mangalore Port Trust.
Dakshina Kannada district deputy commissioner, Subodh Yadav, Satish Raina, railway official from Palghat division, project director of NHAI, Prashant Gavasane, city corporation commissioner, Dr K N Vijayaprakash, MLC, Capt Ganesh Karnik, mayor, Rajani Dugganna, deputy mayor, Rajendra Kumar, chairman of Karnataka State Fisheries Development Corporation, Nitin Kumar, and several other officials and leaders were present at the meeting.