mangalore today

No Chance of World Class Railway Station for Mangaluru: Ivan D’Souza


Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, January 9, 2015: Development of Mangaluru Railway Station as world class station appears to be not on the agenda of the Southern Railway, opines Legislative Council member Ivan D’Souza.

He told presspersons here on January 9 that at the recently held meeting of Zonal Railway Users’ Consultative Committee at Chennai, Southern Railway General Manager Vasisht Johri told him that the world class station was only on paper.

 

Ivan Dsouza


World Class Railway station proposal mooted in the Railway budget by the then Union minister Mamata Banerjee in 2009 has not been taken up by the Southern Railway yet.

“Nowhere in India has the concept become a reality and so the case with Mangaluru too,” the General Manager told him. There are plans to improve facilities at Mangaluru Central Railway Station and nothing more than that.

"Southern Railway has been ignoring the demands of people of this region including setting up of separate division, upgradation of railway stations and extension of trains.

Demand to increase the number of stoppages for Mangaluru Central - Madgaon Intercity Express, extension of the train to Dadar and several other demands were ignored by the division, D’Souza said.

The MLC said the Lok Sabha member representing Dakshina Kannada has failed to ensure that various Central projects, including those of the Railways, are implemented. Mere announcements are not enough, he said.

Besides ensuring that Mangaluru gets a world-class railway station, the LS member should have worked hard in getting a Railway Division for Mangaluru or at least merging it with South-Western Railway or Konkan Railway. Though Southern Railway has only 40-km route network in Mangaluru region, it gets huge revenue through New Mangalore Port Trust. Still, the zone has not been responding to demands for Railway development in its jurisdiction, Mr. D’Souza regretted.

Similarly, the LS member has failed to ensure that the ongoing National Highway widening projects are completed within the specified timeframe, the MLC alleged.

D’Souza said and added that he would think of launching campaign for the implementation of various demands of the people of the region.