Title - People looking to Kharge for better train services

‘Bellary-Hospet region hampered by lack ofthrough trains’

With M. Mallikarjun Kharge taking over as the Minister for Railway, there are high expectations among people in the Bellary-Hospet-Koppal and Gadag regions about improvement in train facilities.“Despite the Hospet-Bellary sector yielding high freight revenue to the Hubli division of South Western Railway, the region has been languishing without proper passenger train facilities for several years. Mr. Kharge should respond to our aspirations by providing better train facilities,” Y. Yamunesh, member of the Divisional Rail Users’ Consultative Committee, Hubli division, has said.According to him, the freight revenue earnings from the Bellary-Hospet sector, on account of transportation of iron ore and other industrial products, was the main source of revenue for the Hubli division. Although the freight revenue had increased enormously over the years, the region had been deprived of proper rail facilities and amenities, especially with regard to the introduction of through trains between Chennai and Mumbai, via Bellary, Hospet, Koppal and Gadag, completion of the Kottur-Harihar rail line and introduction of passenger train facilities, among other things, he said.Babulal Jain, member of the Zonal Rail Users’ Consultative Committee (ZRUCC), expressed the hope that Mr. Kharge would fulfil the long-pending demands of the people. Formation of two new divisions (Gulbarga and Mangalore), which are presently in South Central Railway and Southern Railway, and making them part of South Western Railway, initiating steps to ensure that the entire State came under one jurisdiction, introduction of through trains between Chennai and Hubli via Guntakal, Bellary, Hospet, Gadag, and expeditious completion of the survey of new lines and providing funds for implementing them are among other major issues Mr. Kharge is expected to prioritise.A through train between Chennai and Hubli, according to Mr. Jain, was a long-cherished dream of the people of this region, which had not been realised so far owing to non-cooperation from South Central Railway. “The area surrounding Bellary, Hospet and Koppal is covered with a large number of industries, besides being a large mining belt. Providing adequate train facilities is essential for industrialists and people who come in search of jobs,” Mr. Jain has stated in a letter to Mr. Kharge.So far, Koppal, Hospet and Bellary regions had no through train services for Gulbarga, he said.He has urged Mr. Kharge to initiate steps, besides providing adequate funds, to complete several new rail lines proposed between Munirabad and Mahboobnagar, Hubli and Ankola, Raidurga and Tumkur, Gadag and Haveri, Alamatti and Yadgir, Bijapur and Shahabad, Bagalkot and Kudichi, Belgaum and Dharwad (via Kittur), Bidar and Gulbarga, Bidar and Humnabad, and Humnabad and Gulbarga.He has also requested that inter-city express services be introduced between Hospet and Bangalore.