Mangalore, June 21: Nalin Kumar Kateel, MP in his address said that it is regret to note that for the past four years demands of the Karnataka coastal people have been ignored and neglected by the railway department in spite of drawing the attention of the central government in this regard.
Submitting the memorandum to the newly appointed railway minister Mallikarjuna Kharge, Nalin Kumar requested that at least in the forthcoming budget, being the newly appointed railway minister from the state, all the long standing demands of the Karnataka coastal people contained in the memorandum to be fulfilled.
In 2013-2014 budgets, it was announced a weekly Bangalore-Mangalore train and also insisted to prepare time table accordingly to run via Arasikere of Hasan district between Bangalore-Mangalore but as per the available sources and media news this train is running through Bangalore-Bangarupete-Salem-Kannur and then to Mangalore, thereby depriving the wishes of coastal people.
In case, the arrangement is not done to run this train to Mangalore through Arasikere as desired by the people of coastal region, definitely people will protest against the injustice meted out to the people of coastal region, he warned.
He further said that Karnataka is the only one state in the country, which has got major stake with railway and which is highly deplorable that each and every year’s demands of the coastal people are being ignored and neglected.
During every year’s budget session, through lots of questions being asked, demands of the coastal people have been brought to the knowledge of all the people concerned.
Though many requests have been made in the past few years from Capital Bangalore and other places to all the new trains which connect Mangalore, none of the previous governments or ministers has responded to the demands of coastal people and thus people of the region have disappointed, he added.
Therefore taking all demands of the coastal people into consideration, prominence to be given to the demands of the coastal people, he stressed.
Coastal People’s important and main demands:
1. Formation of Separate railway department to Mangalore and joining with Hubli railway zone or Mangalore to be separated from Kerala and to be added to Mysore Railway zone
2. Upgradation of Mangalore Railway station to world class station
3. Mangalore-Bangalore via Arasikere second new night train
4. Daily day train service between Karwar-Yashawanthpur
5. Developing subramanya railway station as primary facility station
6. Request for more train services to Mangalore and Udipi
7. Chervattur-Mangalore passenger train (56661) train and Kabaka Puttur passanger train to be arrived daily at 8.30 am at Mangalore central station.
8. Extending Kabaka-Puttur train service in the night to Subramanaya for the benefit of the passengers from kaaniyur, Yedamangala and Subramanya region
9. Construction of two lane track between Mangalore-Subramanya routes
10. Passenger train halts at Neralakatte and construction of Foot Bridge
11. Construction of roof and second platform at Bantwal railway station
12. Kabaka-Puttur station’s work
