Mullappally flays Centre’s decision to shift Mangaluru from Palakkad railway division

Congress leader and former KPCC president Mullappally Ramachandran has denounced the Union government's decision to relocate Mangaluru from the Palakkad railway division to the Mysuru division as "unilateral" and a case of political bias against Kerala. In a statement released on August 24, he claimed the Gazette notification relocating coastal Karnataka, including Mangaluru and Ullal, to the Mysuru division was issued without informing Keralam's MPs or the State government.

"Keralam must unite and protest against this discrimination," Mr. Ramachandran stated. He warned that moving the Mangaluru region out of the Palakkad division would cost the division at least ₹600 crore in freight revenue and slash the division's annual revenue by 70%. The former KPCC president accused the central government of pursuing policies driven solely by corporate interests and said the move was timed to sell railway land.

Mr. Ramachandran also noted the shift occurred as Kerala pursued its long-standing demand for a separate railway zone for the State and claimed the decision was politically motivated, timed for the Karnataka Assembly elections. Rashtriya Janata Dal State president M.V. Shreyams Kumar also criticized the Railway Board's decision to remove Mangaluru from the Palakkad division of the Southern Railway and merge it with the Mysuru division of the South Western Railway.

He said the move came as the demand for a special railway zone for Kerala remained unresolved. All 80 services originating from Mangaluru would be transferred to the Mysuru division, impacting freight movement and potentially turning the Palakkad division into a loss-making venture.