Land shortage is set to shelve development of the Mangalore Central station and more

Land shortage is set to shelve development of the Mangalore Central station and more

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, July 21, 2014: According to media reports, the DK district administration is considering proposals to develop the Mangalore Junction Railway Station as a world-class station under PPP- public-private partnership, instead of the Mangalore Central Railway Station.

At a meeting July 19, DK Deputy Commissioner A.B. Ibrahim said that Minister for Railways D.V. Sadananda Gowda had assured the district of a world-class railway station. That station can be developed in the city, if a feasible proposal was given, he had said.  Mamata Banerjee announced in 2009, while she held the Rail portfolio that Mangalore Central will be developed as a world-class station.

Acute shortage of  space is one major reason expansion of the 107 year old Mangalore Central Railway Station is not making head way.  DC A B Ibrahim said space around Mangalore Junction can be acquired in exchange for land at Goods Shed near the old port area. “ Thirty acres of land at Goods Shed, whose value is double of the land value around Padil can fetch 60 acres of land around M’lore Jn., to develop the rail head,” he said.

In this connection the D C mentioned,  the district administration is proceeding with the proposal to construct  the new bus stand for M’lore city near Pumpwell Circle, and also looking at a 9.59-acre plot at Alape (near Padil) for the new DK DC’s office. “This way, an evenly spread Mangalore can develop and congestion in the centre of the city avoided.”   As land at Alape for the D C office is in the possession of the Karnataka Forest Development Corporation, B. Ramanath Rai, Minister for Forests, Ecology and Environment, inspected the plot July19.

There is hope that by the end of the year 2014 positive changes will develop in Mangalore. There are a section of knowledgeable elders in the city who view the fact that the older original historical areas of  Mangalore which are facing neglect and crumbling will seriously loose out to the new developments and ancient land marks will disappear into oblivion.