CM writes to railway ministry demanding separate Mangalore division

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, feb 10, 2012 : D. V. Sadananda Gowda, the chief minister of Karnataka, has urged the railway ministry to create a new railway division for Mangalore by separating it from Palghat division and bringing the Konkan Railway in Karnataka under it.

The chief minister wrote a letter to Dinesh Trivedi, the railway minister, and K. H. Muniyappa, the minister of state for railways, in which he urged the railway ministry to introduce 18 new trains, extend the services of 6 existing trains, and announce the same in the railway budget. He also mentioned in his letter that the people of Mangalore have been long demanding that Mangalore must be brought under the Southern Western Railway division.

The chief minister also urged the railway ministry to introduce direct trains between Mangalore and Delhi, Bijapur and Mangalore, Dharwad and Mangalore, Gulbarga and Bangalore, and Amritsar and Bangalore. He also pointed out in his letter that the people of costal areas in Karnataka hardly get seats in the Magala Lakshadweep Express.

The CM also mentioned the need for new trains between Hubli and Manmad through Kalyan and Nasik, Mangalore and Chennai, Mumbai to Mangalore and Bangalore, Dharwad and Madurai through Chennai and Bangalore, Dharwad and Kanyakumari, Mangalore – Bangalore and Howrah, Dadar and Hubli, Bangalore and Shirdi through Bellary, Ernakulam and Jaipur through Mangalore, Solapur and Bagalkot, Bijapur and Yeshwanthpur, Solapur and Mysore through Hubli and Hassan, Bijapur and Solapur, Hubli and Pune through Bagalkot, and Mumbai and Hubli.

He also demanded the extension of the Bangalore to Hubli Jan Shatabdi to Dharwad, the Solapur to Bagalkot passenger train to Dharwad, the Vasco to Kulem passenger to Hubli, the Hubli to Bijapur passenger train to Solapur, the Hubli to Miraj passenger train to Dadar, and the CST Mumbai to Bijapur first passenger train to Gadag.

The chief minister also urged the railway ministry to convert the Dharwad station into a terminal for the launching of new train services, that all railway stations must be provided with wheelchair pathways, that the Kabaka Puttur Station must be transformed into a model station, and that the Jokatte station must be upgraded to cater to the requirements of passengers to the Mangalore Airport.

He also pointed out that the Bellary to Rayadurga to Chitradurga to Chikkajajur line is not utilized properly and that only two passenger trains run along this line. A daily night train between Hospet and Mysore must be launched, he added.

The chief minister also described the problems of innumerable pilgrims who visit holy places such as Dharmasthala and Kukke Subrahmanya. Since the Shiradi Ghat section is unfit for comfortable travel, he urged the railway ministry to launch a commuter rail service between Mangalore to Subrahmanya stretch and Sakleshpur to Subramanya stretch.