Daijiworld News Network - Mangalore (MB)
with inputs from media release
Mangalore, Nov 13: Whether in getting three international airports sanctioned, or having super-class national highways, Keralites have their way. And they have it in style, feel many Mangaloreans.
It may be recalled here that a couple of months before international flight from Dubai started landing in Mangalore, a group of persons from Kasaragod and northern Malabar had led a morcha to Mangalore airport and demanded early introduction of international flights to Mangalore. There are people here who even believe that if at all finally flights started landing in Bajpe, it could be because of the northern Keralites' pressure.
Over a year ago, Mangalore MP Sadananda Gowda had organized Rail Roko and other modes of agitations for the resumption of Mangalore-Bangalore train service which had been discontinued ten years ago on the pretext of gauge conversion. Nothing has happened ever since. His critics in his own party here say that to avoid embarrassing questions from the public, he has been spearheading agitations over non-issues based on religious sentiments.
File pic of Mangalore-Hassan-Bangalore railway line
So while Gowda and other MLAs are busy with attention-diverting activities, his counterparts from across the southern boundary are busy with some constructive mission. Kannur MLA and Kerala Pradesh Congress general secretary K Sudhakaran met prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh through union minister Vayalar Ravi on November 1 while the PM was on his visit to Kerala. With so much stuff and fervour contained in the memorandum, it would not be a surprise if Dr Singh would have mistaken Mangalore to be a part of Kerala.
Interestingly, the memorandum submitted by Sudhakaran to the PM contains some vital points which the Karnataka politicians may have missed.
1. The train service between Mangalore and Bangalore was discontinued for gauge conversion in September 1996 and the work was to be completed in a year's time. (Time to observe decennial now? A question from Mangaloreans.)
2. The rail-laying work was completed six months ago. But only goods trains are being run on the track.
3. Paradoxically, while a 3-engine, 40-bogied, 5000-tonne goods train can run safely at a time, a 800-tonne passenger train is not allowed to run.
4. An important fact which the elected representatives from DK and Udupi have avoided mentioning all the time, has been openly expressed in the memorandum - that the delay is the handiwork of the private tourist bus lobby ( which is an open secret, discussed in public in Mangalore and around.)
The Congress party, which heads the UPA government in Delhi, says both MPs from DK and Udupi are from the BJP. The BJP on the other hand says it does not have any say with the UPA government. The BJP, which has been agitating now for the early resumption of the train service, forgets that it enjoyed power in the NDA government between 1999 and 2004 and that its MP from Mangalore, V Dhananjaya Kumar, in spite of being a minister for some time in the union government did precious little in the matter, say Congressmen in reply.
In this blame-game and buck-passing process, the common man suffers.
By the way, the memorandum from our friends in Kerala also points out that travelling from Kasaragod to various points would be shorter if Mangalore-Bangalore train resumes.
Distance from Northern Kerala:
Kasaragod-Mangalore-Hassan-Bangalore = 448 kms (Current route via Jolarpettai in Tamil Nadu = 792 kms)
Kannur-Mangalore-Hassan-Bangalore= 534 kms (via Jolarpettai = 707 kms)
Quilandy-Mangalore-Hassan-Bangalore = 599 kms (via Jolarpettai = 642 kms)
Would our MPs or MLAs have put their arguments through so convincingly?
So, if the Mangalore-Bangalore train resumption materializes soon, it could be because of the kind intervention of Keralite brothers, through their votaries, Vayalar Ravi and A K Antony.
In the meantime, our elected representatives can continue to be preoccupied with non-issues.
Will it soon be the end of the tunnel for the people of Mangalore, courtesy our Keralite brethren?
(Report coordinated by Richie Lasrado)
Taking People for a Ride - a 'Train' of Reports: