Kasaragod (Keralam) | Congress MP Rajmohan Unnithan on Sunday alleged that the decision to bifurcate the Palakkad railway division and shift Mangaluru station to the Mysuru division was taken without the knowledge of the Railway Minister or the Southern Railway authorities in Chennai.
The recent Railway Board decision to shift Mangaluru from the Palakkad division to the Mysuru division has triggered widespread protests in Keralam.
Speaking to reporters, Kasaragod MP Unnithan said people in his constituency, which is located close to the Karnataka border, would be the worst affected by the decision and strongly opposed the move.
“The people of Kasaragod are going to suffer the most. Therefore, we can never accept this decision. All of us MPs sent an email message to the Railway Minister,” he said.
Unnithan claimed that the Railway Minister was unaware of the move.
“Finally, now the Minister says, ‘I was not aware.’ Furthermore, the Railways in Chennai was not aware. The GM was not aware. Then who issued this order? Without the Union Minister knowing, and without the Railway officer in Chennai knowing, who made this decision?” he asked.
The railway is yet to respond to the allegations by leaders in Kerala.
He said people in Keralam would not accept the move.
“Therefore, this injustice is shown towards Keralam. The BJP government is showing injustice and neglect towards Keralam in all sectors. We can never accept that neglect,” he said.
He said the creation of the Salem division in 2007 had already affected the revenue base of the Palakkad division.
He said the Palakkad division had subsequently relied heavily on revenue generated through Mangaluru port.
“From that port, movement of petroleum products, coal, chemical fertilisers, we get revenue. That money, amounting to around Rs 600 crore, is what is going to be lost through this decision,” he said.
Unnithan said the bifurcation would also make it more difficult to take decisions concerning the northern districts of Keralam, as railway matters would have to be coordinated with two divisions.
“Now, it was requested to extend several trains ending at Kannur to Kasaragod and Mangaluru. For this extension, we contacted the Palakkad division and the Railway office in Chennai. Now, we have to seek permission from two Railway divisions,” he said.
He said he had also been demanding that Kumbla railway station in Kasaragod be developed as a satellite station and questioned how such projects could be taken forward if the Palakkad division loses its revenue base.
Chief Minister V D Satheesan on Saturday wrote to the Union government opposing the move.
Leaders of both the UDF and LDF have also come out against the decision.
