Thiruvananthapuram | The Southern Railway on Saturday outrightly rejected media reports on the bifurcation of the Palakkad Division and made it clear that no discussion, proposal or plan was initiated in this regard.

In a statement, Divisional Railway Manager Arun Kumar Chaturvedi reiterated that the assertions made in these reports of bifurcation, specifically with respect to the Mangaluru area being transferred to a new zone or division, were "unfounded".

"We wish to clarify that these reports are speculative and lack any factual basis.

There have been no discussions, proposals, or plans concerning the bifurcation of the Palakkad Division of Southern Railway." The Southern Railway further said that the recent meeting conducted at Mangaluru with public representatives and railway officials was solely for discussing rail development and connectivity enhancement in the Mangaluru area.

It had no intent or discussion on the bifurcation of Palakkad Division.

"We understand the concern this misinformation has caused among the public and would like to assure everyone that there are no bifurcations planned for the Palakkad Division," the statement added.