1 week ago
Chowta Urges Karnataka CM to Back Mangaluru Railway Shift
Mangaluru’s railway area is planned to move from a railway division in Kerala to the Mysuru Division in Karnataka.
The change is scheduled to start on October 1.
Dakshina Kannada MP Capt Brijesh Chowta wants Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar to support it.
He asked the Chief Minister to tell the Prime Minister and Railway Minister that Karnataka backs the plan.
Chowta says one railway division could make it easier to plan tracks, trains and freight services.
He also says it could help connect Mangaluru and New Mangalore Port with Hassan and Mysuru.
Kerala’s Chief Minister and some Kerala MPs want the decision reconsidered.
They say they are acting in what they believe are Kerala’s interests.
The Railway Board has already formally notified the change.
Dakshina Kannada MP Capt Brijesh Chowta asked D.K. Shivakumar to support Mangaluru’s transfer to South Western Railway’s Mysuru Division.
The Railway Board’s August 21 notification is scheduled to take effect on October 1.
Mangaluru is currently administered by Southern Railway’s Palakkad Division, according to the reports.
Kerala’s Chief Minister and MPs from Kerala have sought reconsideration or reversal of the decision.
Chowta said unified administration could improve coordination along the Mangaluru-Hassan-Mysuru corridor and support New Mangalore Port cargo movement.
- Who
- Dakshina Kannada MP Capt Brijesh Chowta, Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, Kerala’s Chief Minister and MPs from Kerala are involved.
- What
- Chowta has urged Shivakumar to support the Railway Board’s decision to place Mangaluru under South Western Railway’s Mysuru Division.
- Where
- Mangaluru and the Mangaluru-Hassan-Mysuru rail corridor in Karnataka; Mangaluru is currently under Southern Railway’s Palakkad Division.
- When
- The Railway Board issued its notification on August 21, and the new arrangement is scheduled to begin on October 1; the appeal was published on August 25, 2026.
- Why
- Chowta says a unified divisional framework could improve railway planning, infrastructure work, passenger services, freight movement and port connectivity.
Support implementation
Seek reconsideration
Railway administration
Support implementation
Capt Brijesh Chowta supports implementing the notified transfer, saying placing Mangaluru and the Hassan-Mangaluru-Mysuru corridor within one divisional framework would enable more integrated planning and administration.
Seek reconsideration
Kerala’s Chief Minister has reportedly approached the Prime Minister seeking reconsideration, while MPs and other political leaders from Kerala have publicly opposed implementation or sought reversal.
State interests
Support implementation
Chowta says Karnataka should formally state its support because the decision directly concerns Mangaluru, coastal Karnataka and the state’s railway interests.
Seek reconsideration
Kerala’s government and elected representatives say they are entitled to present to the Union Government what they consider to be in Kerala’s interests.
Key facts
- Proposed railway change
- Mangaluru will come under the Mysuru Division of South Western Railway.
- Current administration
- Mangaluru is currently under the Palakkad Division of Southern Railway.
- Effective date
- October 1, according to the Railway Board notification.
- Notification date
- The Railway Board notification was issued on August 21.
- Karnataka appeal
- Capt Brijesh Chowta asked D.K. Shivakumar to convey Karnataka’s support to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.
- Corridor involved
- The proposed arrangement covers the Mangaluru-Hassan-Mysuru axis, including the Hassan-Mangaluru section already administered by the Mysuru Division.
- Port connection
- New Mangalore Port depends substantially on rail connectivity to move cargo to Karnataka’s industrial and commercial hinterland.
Quotes
Capt Brijesh Chowta
Dakshina Kannada Member of Parliament
“I have pursued this issue consistently since being elected to Parliament. In November 2024, along with fellow Members of Parliament from Karnataka, I took up with the Minister of Railways the railway issues affecting Mangaluru and the Hassan-Mangaluru corridor, while also seeking the support of the State government.”
thehindubusinessline.com
“Bringing the Mangaluru railway area within the same divisional framework will allow the coastal terminal, the ghat section and the inland corridor towards Hassan and Mysuru to be planned and administered in a more integrated manner.”
deccanchronicle.com
Sources
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