Kozhikode: Chief Minister V D Satheesan has demanded that the Centre reconsider the Railway’s decision to transfer the Mangaluru area up to Ullal from the Palakkad Division of Southern Railway to the Mysuru Division of the South Western Railway, saying the move was taken without informing or consulting the state government.
The Railway Board had issued a notification on Friday announcing jurisdictional changes between the Mysuru Division of South Western Railway (SWR) and the Palakkad Division of Southern Railway (SR). Under the new arrangement, the interchange point between the two zones will be shifted from Padil in Karnataka to Ullal, with the revised jurisdiction coming into effect on October 1.
In a Facebook post, Satheesan termed the decision to transfer areas, including Mangaluru station, to the Mysuru Division “unilateral and unacceptable”.
“By excluding the strategically important Mangaluru Junction, the revenue of the Palakkad Division will be significantly reduced, which will adversely affect the division’s development. The Railway Ministry’s decision is highly condemnable,” he said.
Bringing the area between Ullal and Mangaluru, currently under Southern Railway, under South Western Railway would result in significant losses for both Southern Railway and Kerala, Satheesan said, also criticising the Centre for taking the decision without informing the Kerala government or holding consultations with the state. Reconsidering the decision was the united demand of Kerala, he said.
The state will approach the Centre seeking an urgent resolution to the issue, Satheesan said, adding that letters would be sent to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.
Meanwhile, MPs M K Raghavan, Rajmohan Unnithan, K Radhakrishnan and V K Sreekantan have opposed the decision and demanded its withdrawal. Railway passenger associations in Kerala have also strongly condemned the move.
