Notwithstanding the change at the top in the Railway Ministry, the Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd. (KRCL) is hopeful of the new Railway Minister conceding to its long-pending demand — including Mangaluru region under its jurisdiction.
It is also confident that the Minister would give the green signal for its expansion projects — doubling and electrifying the 742-km route network.
The expectations of KRCL as well as the people in coastal Karnataka were high when D.V. Sadananda Gowda was appointed the Railway Minister in the NDA government since he hailed from the region and was at the forefront of the agitation to get justice for Mangaluru region.
His abrupt shifting from the Ministry, however, is not considered as a setback to the demand as the new Minister — Suresh Prabhu — too hails from the Konkan region and is aware of the struggle, sources in the KRCL told The Hindu . KRCL’s Chairman and Managing Director B.P. Tayal has already met Mr. Prabhu, but it was a courtesy meeting on the latter assuming the office, sources said.
However, its demands are still alive on the Railway Board’s table and KRCL would make every effort to take them to the logical end.
The corporation claims that Mangaluru region should have been under KRCL as envisaged in the detailed project report prepared for its formation in 1989.
It says the special purpose vehicle (KRCL) formed for constructing the railway line between Roha in Maharashtra and Thokur in Karnataka and operating trains was found feasible only after taking into account the railway network in Mangaluru region.
However, the region, comprising Mangalore Central passenger coaching terminal, Old Port Goods Shed, Mangalore Junction (Kankanady) and Panambur (New Mangalore Port), was kept out of KRCL when it was formed in 1995.
If Mangaluru region is brought under KRCL, its revenues would increase due to the Port.
The increased revenue thus generated could be ploughed back to improve the infrastructure — doubling and electrifying the line — which is almost saturated, KRCL says.
