Redevelopment of Mangaluru Junction Railway Station nears completion
Mangaluru: The redevelopment works of Mangaluru Junction Railway Station under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme (ABSS) is in its final stages, with the project cost now estimated at Rs 15.80 crore, up from the initial budget of Rs 10.58 crore, according to the Palakkad Division of Southern Railway.
As part of the upgrade, the station now features a new entrance arch and a widened approach road with a footpath, kerb wall, and a minor bridge to enhance connectivity, as reported by The Hindu.
The station building facade has been modernised with Glass Fibre Reinforced Concrete (GFRC) panels, and new sunshade elevations. A new porch has also been added at the terminal building.
The redevelopment focuses on improving passenger amenities, accessibility, and overall infrastructure at the station. The roofing of the station building and crew booking office has been replaced with Mangaluru tile-pattern ceramic tiles, while old windows have been swapped for uPVC (Unplasticised polyvinyl chloride) units. The booking office and concourse have been upgraded for improved passenger convenience.
Significant work has also been undertaken on the platforms, including 1,450 sqm of Kota stone flooring, 650 sqm of coping tile work, and the installation of 17 new platform shelters—10 on Platform 1 and 7 on Platform 2.
Additional infrastructure includes a new parcel office building, a waiting hall, and the development of the second floor of the crew booking office. The circulating and parking areas have been improved with RCC (Reinforced Cement Concrete) and RR (Random Rubble) retaining walls to support expansion, added the report.
Extensive electrical, plumbing, and telecommunication works were also undertaken, covering the parcel office, waiting hall, booking office, concourse, porch, and station building façade. Tile work on the stairways of the Foot Over Bridge has also been finished.
The Palakkad Division of Southern Railway said that the remaining minor works will be completed soon, giving Mangaluru Junction Railway Station a modern look and upgraded passenger facilities.
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Siddaramaiah in 'helpless situation', under some 'compulsion', claims Cong MLA Rajanna
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Bengaluru (PTI): Amid claims that Siddaramaiah's confidants are being targeted within the ruling Congress in Karnataka, following recent actions against some party leaders, senior MLA K N Rajanna on Friday alleged that the chief minister is "helpless" and under some "compulsion" as he is not standing up to defend his people.
The comments from the former minister, who is considered close to Siddaramaiah, came after Congress took action against some of its minority community leaders--considered close to the CM--following allegations of an internal conspiracy against the party candidate in the Davanagere South bypoll held on April 9.
Rajanna himself was sacked from the Ministry last August on the instructions of the party high command, following his alleged comments criticising top party leader Rahul Gandhi's "vote theft" charge.
"There will be vested interests in the party who will try to conspire against those who have been loyal to the party and want the party to grow for the welfare of the people. Nothing can be done about it. What we expect from our chief minister is that when such a situation arises, he should stand strong, but he is not standing and that is a sad thing," Rajanna said in response to a question whether Siddaramaiah's followers were being targeted in Congress.
Speaking to reporters here, he said, "... I don't know what his thinking is. But we did not expect such a helpless situation from Siddaramaiah."
When asked who had made Siddaramaiah helpless, the former minister said, "I won't say who, you understand it yourself."
"People are saying that those close to Siddaramaiah are being targeted...I don't know what compulsions Siddaramaiah has. If he tells, we can know, but he won't say. I don't know under what compulsion he is following this neutrality," he said, adding that the CM is helpless and a person becomes "helpless" when his/her voice shrinks.
The Congress recently suspended MLC K Abdul Jabbar from the party's primary membership and relieved another MLC Naseer Ahmed from the post of chief minister's political secretary. This action came after a group of Muslim leaders accused members of their own party of "conspiracy" to defeat the official candidate in Davanagere South.
Following the action against Jabbar and Naseer Ahmed, speculation is that Housing Minister B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan may also face action during the next cabinet rejig, as these three wanted a Muslim to get the bypoll ticket in Davanagere South, which the party gave to the late MLA Shamanur Shivashankarappa's grandson Samarth Mallikarjun. They also did not actively participate in campaigning.
Citing a Kannada saying that there is no punishment for the mistakes committed by the King, Rajanna, in what seemed to be a veiled dig at Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, asked, "Does sharing a stage with a person (referring to Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev) who said, 'Who is Rahul Gandhi? I don't know,' not amount to indiscipline?"
Referring to AICC chief Mallikarjun Kharge's statement on whether poverty could be ended by taking a dip in the Ganga at Prayagraj, he said, "...but this person (again referring to Shivakumar) goes there and compliments UP CM Yogi Adityanath for arrangements made for the Kumbh Mela. He also goes to Ambani family marriage, while Rahul Gandhi did not even accept the invitation."
"I'm not saying that action should be taken against this person too, but the party will have to observe these things also," he added.
Rajanna further pointed out that no action was taken when veteran Congress leader and late MLA from Davanagere South Shamanur Shivashankarappa made a speech seeking votes for BJP candidate B Y Raghavandra during Shivamogga Lok Sabha polls, and asked if this did not amount to indiscipline.
"The same people were at the helm then (referring to Shivakumar as KPCC chief), even a verbal warning was not given to him (Shivashankarappa)," he said, adding that, similarly no action was taken when Samarth Shamanur filed his nomination in Davanagere South before the party announced its candidate for Davanagere South-- that was also an act of indiscipline.
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