Karnataka - Mangalore   

Agitation for train service gathering steam

— Photo: R. Eswarraj

Deliberation: Members of Mangalore Railway Horata Samithi at a meeting to plan their agitation for Mangalore-Bangalore pssenger train, in Mangalore on Saturday.

MANGALORE: Mangalore Railway Horata Samiti, formed recently to fight for train service to Bangalore, vowed support to any political outfit fighting for the cause.

A meeting of the samiti was convened to decide on the date of bandh to be observed in the city. But it ended up deciding to support any political party led agitation, provided it was not meant to gain political mileage.

There were divergent views on the bandh called by the samiti evoking good response in the city. While Hanumanth Kamath of Nagarika Hitarakshana Vedike said a bandh call given by a few people might not meet with success, advocate Dinesh Hegde Ulepady and others said that the samiti should go ahead with the proposal.

Mr. Kamath said the bandh could evoke positive response only when political parties, trade unions and bus operators joined hands. President of the dstrict unit of Kannada Sahitya Parishat Pradeep Kumar Kalkura supported this view. It was decided that the samiti should support agitation launched by any political outfit provided that it remained apolitical. Mr. Kalkura announced the decision.

Mr. Ulepady said that no organisation had given bandh call on November 27, as reported in a section of the press.

The decision of the samiti assumes significance in view of the Bharatiya Janata Party announcing to stop the train movement here to press for the demand. The Congress, which claims to have taken the issue to a logical end with the Railway Board clearing the project, has threatened to launch a counter-agitation. It remains to be seen whether the samiti will support the proposed agitation by the BJP.

The BJP’s State president D.V. Sadananda Gowda had announced recently that the party would stop movement of all trains on November 20, if the train service was not resumed by then. The demands of the samiti include, creation of a separate division with Mangalore as headquarter, terminating the Matsyagandha Express coming from Mumbai at Mangalore, and prominence given to Kannada at the railway station here. The samiti members were unanimous that the agitation should be constructive.

The participants expressed their happiness over the introduction of Kannada in touch-screen passenger information system at Mangalore Railway Station and completion of 100 years of railway in Mangalore.

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