Keralam CM Satheesan urges Modi to halt transfer of Mangaluru from Palakkad railway division
Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan has requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to halt the transfer of the Mangaluru railway area from the Palakkad division to the Mysuru division. He argues that the move would negatively impact the financial health and infrastructure development of the Palakkad division.
Why it matters
Administrative changes in railway divisions affect regional infrastructure investment, freight revenue, and passenger services, leading to inter-state political friction.
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.
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.
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