Track ready, but Bengaluru-Mangaluru train still stuck in the pipeline

March 24, 2017

Bengaluru, Mar 24: Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu is expected to flag off the train service between Yeshwantpur and Hassan on March 26, but the absence of the much-awaited Bengaluru-Mangalore train on the list has angered many people in both the cities.

mbtrain
Railway officials said they have already sent the proposal for the train but are yet to get an approval. “Shortage of rakes (set of coaches that form a train) has also delayed the proposed Hubballi-Mysuru train via Bengaluru. We have proposed 30 trains that are yet to be approved,” a senior official said. “The railways spent Rs 1,300 crore on the line and now don’t want to run a train on it though people were waiting for it for over a decade. We will fight for the train,” said T P Lokesh of Karnataka Rakshana Vedike.

However, Prabhu’s tweet on Tuesday night has given hope. “#Bengaluru to #Mangalore several people travel by road, to help them starting new train to reduce travel time by 4 hrs minimum. #WeCare (sic)”.

South Western Railway had filed an affidavit in the High Court in reply to a writ petition by Railway Yatri Sangha, Udupi, stating the Bengaluru-Mangaluru express, called as Kudla Express, will start chugging by March 31. R L Dias of the Sangha said, he would wait till first week of April before moving the court against the railways. “We have spent more than Rs 1 lakh to fight for this train in the court. We can’t give up now,” he said.

SWR officials, however, noted that the Prabhu’s tweet hints at the possibility of an announcement during the March 26 programme. The train was announced in 2014-15 budget by then railway minister D V Sadananda Gowda and officials subsequently released the route, showing that the train will run via Mysuru.

Senior officials said any change in route should be approved by the Railway Board, but added that Prabhu’s tweet, which mentions saving four-hour travel time, indicates that the train will run on the new Kunigal line. But the new line cannot save four hours, as promised by the minister. The travel time between Bengaluru and Mangaluru will be reduced from the present 12 hours to a maximum of 9 hours, officials said.

Yeshwantpur - Hassan train from Sunday

Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu will flag off the train service between Yeshwantpur and Hassan at Yeshwantpur railway station in Bengaluru on March 26 at 11 am, media reports from Hubballi.?Yeshwantpur-Hassan Intercity Express train service will run daily. A decision about running more trains on this route would be taken later, said South Western Railway (SWR) chief public relations officer E?Vijaya. A letter has been written to the Railway Board to run Bengaluru-Mangaluru train via Kunigal, and approval is awaited. There is also a plan to run the train, now running via Mysuru, on this route, she added.

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News Network
March 28,2024

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Mangaluru, Mar 28: A fish meal factory in the Baikampady Industrial area in Mangaluru was gutted in a fire incident on Thursday, officials said.

The factory is owned by the company 'Shihar Enterprises', they said.

According to the locals, the fire was first noticed at 4.45 am today, which was immediately reported to the fire department.

The fire engines reached the spot and tried to douse the fire, but it had already spread to other parts of the factory. After almost four hours of fire-fighting operation, the blaze was completely doused, officials.

The reason for the blaze is still being probed, the fire department officials said, adding that they suspect an electric short circuit could have triggered it.

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News Network
March 19,2024

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Bengaluru, Mar 19: Former Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Monday said that the Congress will split in three months after the upcoming Lok Sabha polls and its impact will be visible on the Siddaramaiah-led state government.

"Due to internal squabbles, the state government will not last long," the BJP leader said.

Talking to reporters on Monday, he said the sitting MP from the Gadag-Haveri constituency, Shivakumar Udasi, has done a lot of development work and implemented the Central government's schemes effectively.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi will surely become the PM for the third time. The overall response has been good in the Gadag-Haveri Lok Sabha constituency," the former Karnataka chief minister said.

Asked if he was contesting the election in a half-hearted manner in the Gadag-Haveri seat, Bommai said "such a question does not arise when the party's high command gives instructions".

He said he would respect his opponent and not take anyone lightly. 

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News Network
March 16,2024

Mangaluru: In the wake of complaints regarding middlemen menace, sleuths of Lokayukta on Friday, March 15, conducted a raid at the Mangaluru Urban Development Authority. 

The Lokayukta team found unaccounted money and several files, which were not disposed of for a long period.

Lokayukta SP CA Simon said that the Lokayukta has received complaints that middlemen have been interfering in the MUDA office, and files pertaining to the public are not being cleared on time.

A raid that commenced in the evening on March 13, lasted for 18 hours. During the raid, Lokayukta officials found cash in a bag in MUDA office, and also with officials and others. MUDA officials could not inform the source of money found in their office, the SP said.

Further, he said that many people gathered at the MUDA office during the Lokayukta raid, and have raised complaints about the harassment at the urban development authority. “We have gathered evidence for MUDA officials carrying out file disposal processes through brokers on phone calls. The investigation on the MUDA network will be continued,” he said.

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