Mangaluru, Dec 11: The Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) has requested Railway Minister Piyush Goyal to hand over the Mangaluru railway region to the South Western Railway (SWR).
In a letter to the Union Minister, KCCI president Issac Vas said the overall potential of coastal districts can be fully exploited only if the region is administered by a single zone.
He said Mangaluru is now fortunate to have train connectivity to Bengaluru, Kerala and Mumbai.
However, being under the control of three railway zones (Southern Railway, SWR and Konkan Railway Corporation), train operations are getting complicated due to lack of coordination among the zones.
Many development proposals including introduction of new trains and modification of existing services did not materialise due to the lack of coordination, Vas said in the letter.
He said the Railway Ministry had in 2004 decided to hand over the Mangaluru railway network to Mysuru division of SWR after the completion of the gauge conversion between Mangaluru and Hassan.
The Ministry has not implemented the decision even 14 years after the gauge conversion.
Vas said freight movement between New Mangalore Port Trust and other parts of Karnataka will improve if Mangaluru comes under SWR.
With the proposed expansion of MRPL, bringing Mangaluru-Thokur line under SWR will also enhance the operations in the region, he said in the letter.
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Panaji (PTI): Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Friday appealed to industries and citizens to keep the coastal state clean and ensure that its beauty and serenity remain intact.
Addressing the state-level ‘Goa Liberation Day’ parade near Panaji, Sawant said maintaining cleanliness in the state is essential for the growth of the tourism sector.
The CM inspected the parade and took the guard of honour after unfurling the tricolour, in the presence of cabinet ministers and other guests.
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The state government has commissioned waste management plants to treat e-waste and hazardous waste, he said.
“I appeal to all industries not to dispose of their waste on the roadside in an unscientific manner. Facilities exist to treat all kinds of waste, and these should be used to keep Goa clean,” he said.
The chief minister said that citizens should shoulder the responsibility of keeping the state clean to retain its beauty and serenity.
He also urged the locals to work towards realising the visions of ‘Vikasit Bharat’ (Developed India) and ‘Vikasit Goa’ (Developed Goa).
Sawant thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Centre for “contributing in a big way to the development of the state”.
The Goa Liberation Day is celebrated on December 19 every year to mark the success of 'Operation Vijay' undertaken by the armed forces to liberate the state from the Portuguese in 1961.
