Bhatkal : Syed Hassan Barmawar, a social worker who had written more than 50 letters to a railway authority even the president of India requesting that  the express train CST in Mumbai passing through Bhatkal to reach Mangalore should have a stop at Bhatkal on way was happy that on Sunday the CST train to Mangalore actually stopped at Bhatkal station for a few minutes and he submitted 2 memoranda to the Station master regarding a telephone link service at the station and railway ticket office be made available in town (Bhatka).

Several residence of Bhatkal were overjoyed to see the Mumbai-Mangalore train stop for the first time in Bhatkal on an experimental basis for 6 months from Dec.1.

They garlanded the train, drivers and the guard for the courtesy of stopping the express train at the Bhatkal in Karnataka on the Konkan Railway route to Mangalore.

The train reached Bhatkal from Mumbai at 10.40 am in the morning of Dec.1. Further it has another 2 to 3 hours journey to reach Mangalore Central Terminus.

During the evening programme Tanzeem, general secretary, Muhiddin Altaf Kharuri, Muslim leader Inayatullah Shahbandari, Vittal Nailk, Abdul Rahim Shaikh and many others were present.