Palakkad (Keralam) | UDF leaders are on a day-long hunger strike here on Wednesday, the Thiruvonam day, protesting the Railway Board's decision to transfer the Mangaluru area, including Ullal, from the Palakkad Division of Southern Railway to the Mysuru Division of South Western Railway from October 1.
UDF MPs V K Sreekandan, M K Raghavan, E T Mohammed Basheer, Benny Behanan, Shafi Parambil and Rajmohan Unnithan, state ministers Sunny Joseph and K A Thulasi, and Palakkad MLA Ramesh Pisharody were among those who took part in the agitation held in front of the Palakkad divisional railway manager's (DRM) office here.
They sought immediate withdrawal of the Railway Board's decision to shift Mangaluru from Palakkad railway division.
While addressing the agitation, KPCC president and state minister Sunny Joseph alleged that the Railway Board took the decision "under the cover of darkness" soon after the Parliament session, describing it as a "grave betrayal" of the people of Keralam.
"There is no justification for this act. The shifting of Mangaluru from the Palakkad division was unnecessary," Joseph said.
The satyagraha came two days after Keralam Chief Minister V D Satheesan urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to put on hold the Railway Board's decision and reconsider it after consultations with the state government and other stakeholders.
In a letter to Modi, Satheesan had said the decision had caused "serious concern" in Keralam as it was taken without any prior consultation with the state government despite having significant and long-term implications for railway infrastructure and development, particularly in northern Keralam.
The CM had also pointed out that Mangaluru had been an integral part of the Palakkad Division for decades and said the proposed transfer would take away not only Mangaluru Central and Mangaluru Junction but also important railway infrastructure linked to the Mangaluru port region, including Panambur.
