Protestors organize rail roko, demand train to Karwar

Protestors organize rail roko, demand train to Karwar

Mangalore Today News Network

Udupi, Feb 15: A “rail roko” was staged by protestors furious over the railway authorities’ failure to extend the Bangalore – Mangalore train to Karwar and the subsequent diversion of this train to Kannur at the Mangalore Railway Station on Feb 15, Tuesday. The protestors also expressed their discontentment at the authorities’ failure to consider the proposal to divert a few compartments of the above-mentioned train to Karwar.

As part of the agitation, the Ernakulam – Pune Poorna Express was held up at the railway station for nearly half an hour during which MLA Raghupathi Bhat informed the gathering that today’s “rail roko” is intended to convey the message to the concerned railway authorities that the people of DK refuse to tolerate injustice. He urged the railway department to include the proposal to extend the Bangalore – Mangalore train to Karwar in the next budget and warned that the protest will be intensified on the very next day of the budget presentation and that all the trains moving through Mangalore will be stopped for 24 hours.

The protest was organized under the leadership of R. L. Dias, the president of the Udupi Railway Yatri Sangha, and local MLA Raghupathi Bhat. The protestors were arrested and released after a brief period.

U. R. Sabhapathy, the former MLA; R. L. Dais; Udayakumar Shetty, the district BJP president; Bharathi Chandrashekar, the municipal vice president; Katpady Shankar Poojary, the ZP president; Deviprasad Shetty, the JD (S) district president; representatives of several organizations; and retired government officials participated in the protest.