United Democratic Front (UDF) MPs and MLAs staged a satyagraha in front of the Palakkad Divisional Railway Manager’s office on Wednesday (Thiruvonam day), protesting the bifurcation of the Palakkad Railway Division and the transfer of Mangaluru to the Mysuru Division.
The Railway Board, in an order issued on August 21, said the jurisdictional change will take effect from October 1, 2026, with Mangaluru and other areas being transferred from the Palakkad Division of Southern Railway to the Mysuru Division of South Western Railway.
UDF MPs V K Sreekandan (Palakkad), Shafi Parambil (Vadakara), M K Raghavan (Kozhikode), Rajmohan Unnithan (Kasaragod), Anto Antony (Pathanamthitta), E T Mohammed Basheer (Malappuram) and Dean Kuriakose (Idukki) participated in the protest. Kerala Ministers K A Thulasi and Sunny Joseph, along with Palakkad MLA Ramesh Pisharody, also attended.
Addressing the protest, M K Raghavan claimed the bifurcation would cause an annual revenue loss of over ₹1,000 crore to the Palakkad Division and could threaten its future viability.
“What if the Railway Board tomorrow declares the Palakkad Division no longer viable? Hundreds of employees are working in the Mangaluru region, and junior staff could be forced to transfer. Why was this bifurcation undertaken? It is purely political and part of the BJP’s agenda ahead of the Karnataka Assembly election. This is also an attempt to undermine railway development in Kerala,” Raghavan said.
He said the UDF would intensify the protest, with MPs planning to jointly meet Railway Ministry officials in New Delhi and hold the next demonstration in the national capital.
Chief Minister V D Satheesan had earlier written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, opposing the reorganisation and alleging that the Railway Board took the decision without consulting the state government.
Satheesan highlighted the financial impact of removing Mangaluru from the Palakkad Division. He said the Mangaluru area accounts for more than 90% of the division’s freight revenue, estimated at around ₹650 crore, and contributes over half of its total revenue of approximately ₹1,650 crore.
He also pointed out that Mangaluru has been part of the Palakkad Division for decades and that the proposed transfer covers Mangaluru Central, Mangaluru Junction and railway infrastructure linked to the Mangaluru port region, including Panambur, which handles substantial freight and container traffic.
