UDF in Kerala plans Delhi protest against transfer of Mangaluru railway area

The Congress-led United Democratic Front in Kerala is considering extending its protest to New Delhi against the Railway Board’s decision to transfer the Mangaluru area from the Palakkad Division to the Mysuru Division from 1 October.

Congress MP V.K. Sreekandan on Thursday demanded that the Centre and the railway ministry reverse the decision. He warned that the agitation would otherwise be expanded across Keralam and taken to the national capital.

Sreekandan said the UDF was considering holding a demonstration outside the railway ministry in Delhi as part of its campaign.

Describing the move as detrimental to railway development in Kerala, the MP said the state would not accept a decision taken without democratic consultation.

He also alleged that the transfer was intended to appease political interests in Karnataka ahead of the forthcoming elections and maintained that the Railways had no valid reason to alter the divisional jurisdiction.

His remarks came a day after UDF leaders held a day-long hunger strike outside the office of the Palakkad divisional railway manager. MPs and state ministers participated in the protest against the proposed transfer of the Mangaluru area, including Ullal.

Chief minister V.D. Satheesan recently wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to suspend the decision and reconsider it after consulting the state government and other stakeholders.

Satheesan said the move had caused serious concern in Kerala because of its long-term implications for railway infrastructure and development, particularly in the state’s northern districts. He also objected to the lack of consultation with the state government before the decision was taken.

The chief minister pointed out that Mangaluru had remained part of the Palakkad Division for decades. He said the transfer would remove Mangaluru Central and Mangaluru Junction from the division, along with strategically important railway infrastructure connected to the Mangaluru port region, including Panambur.

With IANS inputs