MP Brijesh Chowta Urges Karnataka to Support Mangaluru Railway Shift

Member of Parliament Brijesh Chowta has urged Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar to formally support a Railway Board decision to transfer the administration of Mangaluru from the Palakkad division of Southern Railway to the Mysuru Division of South Western Railway. The reorganization, scheduled to take effect on October 1, shifts the interchange between the Mysuru and Palakkad divisions from Padil to Ullal and establishes Thokur as the interchange between the Konkan Railway and the Mysuru Division.

Chowta argues that integrating the coastal terminal, the ghat section, and the inland corridor will improve infrastructure coordination and freight movement for the New Mangalore Port. He called on the Karnataka government to rise above party differences and convey its support for the implementation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.

While the move addresses long-standing demands in coastal Karnataka, it has faced opposition from the Government of Kerala and several Kerala MPs, who have requested that the Prime Minister reverse the notification. Chowta stated that it would be difficult for the people of coastal Karnataka to understand if the state government remained silent on a decision directly concerning the region's railway interests.