Chowta Asks CM To Support Mangaluru’s Shift To Mysuru Railway Division
In a letter to the Chief Minister on August 24, Chowta said such a communication would be in line with the spirit of cooperation across party lines that Shivakumar had advocated on matters concerning Karnataka.
Mangaluru: Dakshina Kannada MP Capt Brijesh Chowta has urged Chief Minister DK Shivakumar to formally convey to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw the Karnataka government's support for implementing the Railway Board's decision on Mangaluru's railway jurisdiction.
Under the decision, Mangaluru will come under the Mysuru Division of South Western Railway from October 1.
In a letter to the Chief Minister on August 24, Chowta said such a communication would be in line with the spirit of cooperation across party lines that Shivakumar had advocated on matters concerning Karnataka.
“This need not be viewed as taking a position against a neighbouring State. The question is one of railway administration and the operational and developmental requirements of Mangaluru,” Chowta said.
He was referring to the Railway Board notification of August 21 revising the railway jurisdiction around Mangaluru from October 1. Under the revised arrangement, the Mangaluru will come under the Mysuru Division of South Western Railway.
Chowta said that at a time when the leaders of Kerala were seeking the decision to be reconsidered, it was important for Karnataka to place its position formally before the Union government.
“The Government of India has considered the matter and formally notified its decision. At a time when its reconsideration is being actively sought, Karnataka's considered position should also be formally before the Union Government,” he said.
The MP's appeal comes against the backdrop of the Kerala government's reported move to seek reconsideration of the notification and opposition to its implementation by leaders from Kerala.
“I also understand that the Chief Minister of Keralam has now approached the Prime Minister seeking reconsideration of the notification, while Members of Parliament from Keralam have publicly opposed its implementation. The Government of Keralam and its elected representatives are, of course, entitled to place before the Union Government what they consider to be in the interests of their State,” he said.
“Several political leaders and Members of Parliament from Keralam, belonging to your own party, have taken a clear public position seeking reversal of the decision. They are doing so in what they consider to be the interests of their State. In these circumstances, it would be difficult for the people of coastal Karnataka to understand if the Government of Karnataka were to remain silent on a formally notified decision directly concerning Mangaluru and the railway interests of the State,” he added.
Chowta said the revised railway jurisdiction addressed a long-standing demand of people in coastal Karnataka. For years, the railway network around Mangaluru had been administered through different railway establishments, requiring works and operational matters concerning the same city to be taken up with different authorities.
He said the decision was also significant for Karnataka's broader railway development as the Mysuru Division already administers the Hassan-Mangaluru section.
“Bringing the Mangaluru railway area within the same divisional framework will allow the coastal terminal, the ghat section and the inland corridor towards Hassan and Mysuru to be planned and administered in a more integrated manner,” he said.
According to Chowta, the arrangement could improve coordination in capacity augmentation, infrastructure works, passenger services and freight movement. He also pointed to Mangaluru's role as Karnataka's principal maritime gateway, with New Mangalore Port depending substantially on rail connectivity for movement of cargo to the State's industrial and commercial hinterland.
The MP said the revised arrangement offered an opportunity to develop the Mangaluru-Hassan-Mysuru axis as an integrated passenger and freight corridor connecting the coast and the port with the interior of Karnataka.
Welcoming the Centre's decision, Chowta said the government had accepted the long-pending demand and formally notified the new arrangement.
