DYFI protests proposed Palakkad Railway Division bifurcation over revenue and job concerns

Palakkad: The Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) staged a protest on Monday against the proposed bifurcation of the Palakkad Railway Division, warning that the move would harm passenger interests, railway personnel, and local businesses, while causing significant revenue losses for Kerala.

During the demonstration, DYFI activists boarded a train to distribute informational leaflets to passengers, detailing the potential fallout of the decision on the state.

A protester speaking to ANI stated that transferring key sections, including the Mangaluru region, to the Mysuru Division under South Western Railway would severely impact the Palakkad division.

"DYFI is raising this protest because the Central Government has decided to bifurcate the Palakkad division, with the main parts of the Palakkad division, including Mangaluru, going to the Mysuru division," the protestor said.

The protester warned that the restructuring would disrupt train services, exacerbate local unemployment, and trigger a massive financial setback for the division.

"It will affect the people who travel through the train, and it will also cause the unemployment rate to increase. The revenue loss will be approximately Rs 1,000 crore to the Palakkad division," he said.

He further alleged that the restructuring was driven by political interests rather than operational needs.

"It also affects the employees who are working in this division. It is a political agenda of BJP to support and favour the Karnataka BJP," he said.

The protester noted that diminished railway activity would also harm small business operators and cab drivers working around local stations.

Under the Railway Board's order scheduled to take effect on October 1, the Mangaluru region and its associated stations will shift from the Southern Railway's Palakkad Division to the Mysuru Division. The directive has sparked widespread political outrage across Kerala.

On August 26, MPs from the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) staged a sit-in protest in Palakkad, condemning the move as politically motivated.

Criticizing the decision on Monday, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor highlighted the lack of state level consultation.

"This is a particularly unfortunate decision because it was made without any consultation with the Kerala government or Kerala MPs," Tharoor said.

Tharoor added that the Palakkad division stands to suffer an estimated revenue loss of Rs 1,100 crore as a result of the transfer.

Earlier, Kerala Electricity Minister and KPCC president Sunny Joseph called for executive intervention to halt the unilateral decision.

"Detaching the main route from Palakkad division is an unjustifiable decision. We are agitating against the unilateral decision. We request the Prime Minister to intervene," Joseph told ANI. (ANI)