- Railway Board shifts Mangaluru section from Palakkad to Mysuru.
- Kerala protests huge revenue loss, fears development impact.
- Karnataka welcomes move for efficiency and regional development.
A fresh controversy has erupted between Karnataka and Kerala after the Railway Board received an order on August 21. The order removed the Mangaluru section (up to Ullal) from the Palakkad division of the Southern Railway and included it in the Mysuru division of the South Western Railway.
With this decision, which will come into effect on October 1, the interchange point between the two railway zones will be shifted from Padil to Ullal. Moreover, Thokur station will remain under the control of Konkan Railway and will serve as the new interchange point between Konkan Railway and South Western Railway.
After October 1, Palakkad division will be reduced to just Ullal, leaving Thiruvananthapuram as the only major division in Kerala. The geographical and administrative change has led to widespread protests in Kerala and satisfaction in Karnataka.
Kerala's protest over financial concerns
The UDF MPs from Kerala, MK Raghavan, ET Mohammed Basheer and Shafi Parambil, in a joint press conference, termed the transfer as unfair, unilateral and unacceptable.
The UDF leaders announced that they will hold a dharna and satyagraha in front of the Palakkad Divisional Railway Manager's office on Thiruvonam day to protest against the Railway Board decision.
The Kerala MPs argued that the annual revenue of around Rs 1,000 crore to Rs 1,100 crore from Mangaluru Port and the goods yards located around it will go away from the Palakkad division.
What's the revenue maths?
Nearly 90 per cent of the Palakkad division's total freight revenue comes from the Mangaluru region. The Panambur Goods Yard, which serves the New Mangalore Port, alone handled cargo worth over Rs 625 crore last fiscal year.
The loss of this area is expected to result in a 60 per cent drop in the Palakkad division's daily earnings, estimated at around Rs 2.75 crore, and a massive revenue loss.
The size of an Indian Railways division, its total revenue, and passenger traffic are key criteria for allocating new funds, approving new trains, and constructing new rail lines. Decreasing revenue is likely to negatively impact rail development in the Malabar region and across Kerala.
Reacting to the decision, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said after an online meeting that it has been taken without any formal consultation with the affected state government or local public representatives.
The Chief Minister's Office said that letters will be sent to the Prime Minister and the Railway Minister, seeking reconsideration of the decision.
What is Karnataka's stand?
Karnataka's political and business representatives have welcomed the Railway Board's decision. For a long-time, Coastal Karnataka has complained that its rail system was divided between the Southern Railway, South Western Railway, and Konkan Railway.
Mangaluru MP Brijesh Chowta said that bringing Mangaluru's railway network under a single division will increase administrative efficiency and also accelerate development works.
Former Dakshina Kannada MP Nalin Kumar Kateel and local business organisations also backed the decision, arguing that despite the huge revenue generated from Mangaluru, the Southern Railway has always neglected the local infrastructure in coastal Karnataka.