Karnataka - Hubli   

Move to set up new railway division evokes mixed reactions

By Our Special Correspondent

HUBLI, JAN. 22. The news about the Railway Ministry deciding to set up a railway division with Gulbarga as its headquarters has evoked mixed reactions. While the good news is that the Ministry appears to have conceded the demand of the region, those who are working for the development of the South Western Railway (SWR) are distressed as the new division will not be a part of SWR but will be retained in the South Central Railway (SCR). The move to include Koppal and Bellary districts, which are now part of the Hubli division of SWR, in the new division, has also added to their concern.

Though a final decision in this regard is pending, the implications of the proposal are too serious to be ignored, according to some people. If the decision is taken, the jurisdiction of SWR in general and that of the Hubli division in particular is bound to come down.

Secondly, the move will also help SCR gain control over the transportation of iron ore from the Hospet Bellary area, depriving SWR of its main source of revenue.

Though a railway convention committee headed by H.C. Sarin recommended in 1984 that a new railway division be set up with Gulbarga as its headquarters, it was only recently that the issue was raised by Patil Puttappa, Chairman of the Karnataka Abhivrudhi Vedike.

The suggestion to form a new railway zone with Gulbarga as its headquarters was revived by the vedike when it was revealed that the Guntakal Division, which was to be a part of SWR, was retained in SCR, which resulted in the former being left with only three divisions — Mysore, Bangalore and Hubli.

Mr. Puttappa endorsed the recommendation made by Mr. Sarin on the ground that the formation of the new division would increase the number of divisions in the new zone from three to four.

This apart, he also suggested that another division be set up with Mangalore as its headquarters, which should be brought under SWR. While welcoming the move to form a new division with Gulbarga as its headquarters, Mr. Puttappa defined the proposal to retain the new division in SCR as unwise.

"If Guntakal division, covering areas in Andhra Pradesh cannot be a part of the SWR, how can the Gulbarga division remain with SCR?," he wondered

If the proposal saw the light of the day, SCR would gain control over the movement of iron ore in Hospet-Bellary areas, he said.

He recalled that when new zones were being carved out, Hubli division had its jurisdiction up to Banthanal, a railway station on the outskirts of Guntakal. But when the new zones were created, the jurisdictions of the Hubli division and SWR were "severely limited", he added.

But thanks to the agitation, the Railways had conceded the demand of the people of the State and extended the jurisdiction of the Hubli division up to Bellary, including Thoranagal, brining the iron ore traffic within the jurisdiction of SWR.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Karnataka

News: Front Page | National | Tamil Nadu | Andhra Pradesh | Karnataka | Kerala | New Delhi | Other States | International | Opinion | Business | Sport | Miscellaneous |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Obituary | Updates: Breaking News |

Stories in this Section

• Move to set up new railway division evokes mixed reactions

Copyright © 2004, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu