New Delhi: The only minister of state for Railways is from Kolar, Karnataka now, whereas several earlier Railway Minister from K. Hanumanthaiah and Dasappa down to Jaffer sheriff were from Karnataka. Yet every year the Railway Budget raise hopes in our state only to crush them.
That disappointing feeling has haunted Kannadigas for decades, when now. Yet there are always optimistic outlooks, with a Konkan Railway a Karwar-Mangalore-Bangalore railway a train from Mangalore to Chennai, Tirupathi, Prashnthi Nilayam and Shravana Belagola too, for pilgrims materialising.
The Mangalore Central station is tipped for a world class modern station with about 10 lines at the terminal, whereas it has only 4 now.
The Railway minister, like Lalu Prasad (Bihar) and Mamata Banerjee (Bengal), took care of their own state to in crease Railway facilities.
Today Dinesh Trivedi (of Trinamool Congress) id expected to do only that, as Railways has been taken over by TMC party after Mamata who is Bengal CM now.
Sheriff only worked to widen the railway tracks into broad gauge, than creating new Railway lines in Karnataka.
But K.H. Muniappa of Kolar has re-kindled hopes of new railway lines of 500 Kms. coming up in the next Railway budget.
There are certain short distance railways within Karnataka which can serve people immensely such as Chitradurga-Bangalore and Mumbai-Mangalore-Tirunelveli.
So far as South India is concerned KHM can still materialise some Karnataka from Bidder to Mangalore.