Title - State favours extension of night train to Karwar

Government makes submission in the High Court The State government has backed the demand for extension of Yeshwanthpur-Mangalore night train to Karwar as lots of money has gone into the construction of railway lines between Hassan and Mangalore, and the Konkan railway line passing through coastal Karnataka.In response to a writ petition filed in the Karnataka High Court, the government said, “It is submitted that the State government has no role to play in the operation of train services. But the government facilitated setting up of railway route with an intention of increasing the railway network for the benefit of the people of Karnataka.”A writ petition was filed by Bangalore-based advocate Shankar Bhat and others seeking a direction to quash the August 18, 2011, communication by the South Western Railway (SWR) rejecting to extend the night train. The High Court in its May 23, 2011 order passed on two similar writ petitions directed the Railway Board to consider extension of night train service to Karwar.In its statement, the government said nearly one thousand private luxury buses ply on Bangalore-Mangalore-Karwar sector every day. This reflects the density of travelling public even as the district headquarters of Udupi and Karwar continue to lack direct train connectivity with the State capital, the government said.After gauge conversion between Hassan and Mangalore in 2007, it was proposed to introduce two night daily trains and one day train between Bangalore and Mangalore. Since Udupi and Karwar did not have direct train link from Bangalore, the government said, a joint decision was taken at the Indian Railway Timetable Committee meeting of the Southern, the South Western and the Konkan Railway in January 2009 to extend one night train to Karwar.The government said contrary to this decision, the 2009 Railway Budget announced extension of the lone night train to Kannur even though Kannur was being served by another night train from Yeshwanthpur via Salem. The earlier writ petition had challenged this decision, the government said.Refuting the Railways’ claim that Karwar is being served by a tri-weekly day train, the government said, “Introduction of a tri-weekly day train to Karwar is substitute to the demand of the general public for night train. Travelling for 15-16 hours during the day without berths is tedious and cumbersome. Further, there is not even a single direct train on Bangalore-Mangalore-Karwar section. Under these circumstances, the impugned decision (rejecting extension) appears to be totally erroneous.”The government noted that though private land was acquired in coastal Karnataka and people and government funded Konkan Railway construction, the line has largely been benefitting commuters from Kerala and not Karnataka.All long distance trains from Kerala to Mumbai and destinations in north India were diverted through Konkan railway even though not many long distance trains are being operated from Mangalore.