Palakkad/ Kozhikode (Kerala): A gazette notification issued on August 21 has formally integrated the Mangaluru region into the Mysore Division under the South Western Railway, severing its historic link with the Palakkad Division. The division change, which takes effect on October 1, follows long-term planning by the Ministry of Railways, according to the notification released on the evening of the 21st.

The move has triggered sharp political backlash across Kerala. Members of Parliament M K Raghavan and E T Muhammad Basheer announced at a press conference that protests would be escalated to New Delhi. As an initial gesture, MPs from the Malabar region will hold a hunger strike outside the Palakkad Divisional Railway Office on Thiruonam day, August 26, aiming to rally public support against what they termed a deliberate attempt to strip the Palakkad Division of its relevance.

The decision comes precisely 20 years after the Palakkad Division was last bifurcated to create the Salem Division, which was inaugurated on November 1, 2006 following widespread protests and a state-wide hartal called by the BJP.

Parliamentarians allege that by severing both wings, the Palakkad Division is being rendered irrelevant, fearing a broader political agenda driven by BJP leadership to eventually merge Kerala’s rail network into a single division. They specifically pointed to Union Minister of State for Railways V Somanna, who hails from Karnataka, while demanding that Union Minister Suresh Gopi and the BJP leadership in Kerala clarify their stance.

Local representatives warn that the bifurcation will result in annual revenue losses exceeding ₹1,000 crore for the Palakkad Division, jeopardise the proposed third railway line between Mangaluru and Shoranur and cripple rail infrastructure development across Malabar. Following the change, the Nilambur Road–Thiruvananthapuram Rajya Rani Express will remain the only long-distance train originating from the Palakkad Division.

However, P K Krishnadas, a member of the BJP National Executive Committee and former chairman of the Railway Passenger Amenities Committee, dismissed the allegations raised by the Congress and CPM as baseless and politically motivated. He stated that the structural reorganisation would not disrupt rail development, reduce central funding or cause inconvenience to passengers, warning against attempts to turn the administrative shift into an interstate dispute between Kerala and Karnataka.