Udup, February 26: Railway budget has evoked mixed reaction here. President of the Udupi Railway Yatri Sangha R.L. Dias said: “We are happy that the Ministry has extended the Yashwanthpur-Mangalore day train (16515) to Karwar. This train runs thrice a week. We have been fighting for the extension of this train to Karwar for the past two years.”
Mr. Dias said that owing to the extension of the train to Karwar, people from Udupi and Uttara Kannada districts would be connected to Bangalore. This would help those visiting Bangalore for government, educational and private work. He said the other demand for stoppage of three trains which passed through Udupi had not been fulfilled. These three trains are Kochuveli – Dehra Dun Express (weekly), Kochuveli – Amritsar Express (weekly) and Pune – Ernakulum Express.
The sangha had sought increasing the number of coaches on Mangalore-Kurla Matsyagandha Express from 21 to 24. But no action had been taken. It had demanded that the number of coaches on Mangalore-Madgaon train be increased from 11 to 14 as it passed through temple towns of Udupi, Gokarn and Murudeshwar. But this too had not been met, Mr. Dias said.
President of the Udupi Chamber of Commerce and Industry Prasadraj Kanchan said that the chamber was delighted that the Yashwanthpur-Mangalore train had been extended to Karwar. The chamber had submitted a memorandum to the Railway Ministry on this issue.
In a press release, D.V. Sadananda Gowda, Udupi-Chikmagalur MP, said that the budget had not given adequate importance to Karnataka. The Yashwanthpur -Mangalore tri-weekly day train had been extended to Karwar. He would strive to see that this train became a daily.
The demands for a separate railway division in Mangalore and modernisation of Udupi and Mangalore railway stations had not been fulfilled. Only Rs. 10 crore had been earmarked for laying track on the Kadur-Chikmagalur section. This was an ordinary budget, he added.
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