Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to put on hold the Railway Board’s decision to transfer the Mangaluru area up to Ullal from the Palakkad railway division to the Mysuru division of South Western Railway from October 1.
In a letter to the Prime Minister, Mr. Satheesan said the decision, issued on August 21, was taken without consulting the Keralam government despite its implications for railway infrastructure and development in northern Keralam.
He said Mangaluru had been part of the Palakkad division for decades and the transfer would include Mangaluru Central, Mangaluru Junction and railway facilities serving the Mangaluru port, including Panambur, a major freight and container-handling centre.
Major revenue source
The Mangaluru area accounts for more than 90% of the Palakkad division’s freight revenue, estimated at ₹650 crore, and over half of its total revenue of about ₹1,650 crore, he said.
Removing the area would weaken the division’s financial base and affect resource allocation, infrastructure projects, train services and passenger amenities in Malabar, the Chief Minister said.
Mr. Satheesan pointed out that the Palakkad division had already lost the Coimbatore region when the Salem division was formed in 2007. The proposed transfer of Mangaluru will further reduce its jurisdiction and revenue base, he said.
Railway divisions, he said, were not merely administrative units as their boundaries affected connectivity, infrastructure investment, freight movement and passenger services.
Mr. Satheesan urged the Prime Minister to direct the Railway Ministry to reconsider the decision after consulting the Keralam government and other stakeholders. He also sought retention of the Palakkad division’s existing jurisdiction and greater investment and services for northern Keralam.
