Payyanur: The transfer of Mangaluru from the Palakkad railway division to the Mysuru division has triggered strong protests in Kerala, while the move is being celebrated as a major victory in Karnataka’s Dakshina Kannada region.

The decision has renewed concerns in Kerala over the weakening of the Palakkad division. In Dakshina Kannada, however, those who pushed for Mangaluru to come under the Mysuru division have hailed the move as a “historic victory”. Dakshina Kannada MP Brijesh Chowta has also been praised for his role in the effort.

The demand to bring Mangaluru under a Karnataka-based railway administration had been gaining momentum for several years.

A major step came in 2024, when the Railway Board directed officials to prepare a report on the possibility of bringing the Mangaluru region under a ‘single railway zone’.

On July 18, Union Minister of state for Railways V Somanna sought a report on the matter. The letter was sent to the general managers of Southern Railway and South Western Railway, as well as the chairman and managing director of Konkan Railway Corporation.

The Railway Board’s order identified several stations and railway sections as part of the proposed Mangaluru arrangement. These included Surathkal, Panambur, Thokur, Padil, Mangaluru Junction, Mangaluru Central, Ullal and Manjeshwar.

Of these, only Surathkal comes under Konkan Railway. The remaining sections were then part of the Palakkad division.

At the time, however, the Southern Railway general manager and Palakkad division officials had said there was no indication that Mangaluru would be taken away from the Palakkad division.

That assurance has now proved wrong, with the Karnataka lobby’s demand ultimately succeeding.

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The main argument put forward by the Karnataka lobby was that Mangaluru’s development was being held back because the region’s railway network was divided among Southern Railway, Konkan Railway Corporation and South Western Railway.

The issue was also discussed at a meeting in Mangaluru in July 2024 attended by Minister Somanna.

The broader objective was to bring the Mangaluru region under a single railway administration and eventually separate it from the Palakkad division. That demand has now been realised with Mangaluru being transferred to the Mysuru division, prompting strong opposition in Kerala.