The Centre has agreed to consider redrawing of the new division, proposed to be carved out by bifurcating Palakkad division. 
Redraw area
The compromise formula was thrashed out during meetings that Kerala Chief Minister V S Achyuthanandan had with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Railway Minister Lalu Prasad  here. 
The Kerala chief minister said the Centre had agreed to redraw the administrative area of the new division, to be headquartered in Tamil Nadu.  
“Railway Minister and Minister of State for Railways R Velu will meet the MPs from Kerala on Monday, when a final decision is expected on the issue,” the Kerala chief minister told newspersons after meeting Dr Singh.
Disrupted sessions
While a decision to set up a railway division at Salem is to stay,  Kerala may  get  some concessions. The  division is expected to be inaugurated later his month. 
The controversy had led to members from Kerala disrupting the proceedings in Lok Sabha during the current session of Parliament.
Direct talks
The prime minister had asked the railway minister to hold direct talks with both the chief ministers   to resolve the differences between the two neighbouring states. Kerala has made it clear that it is not against creation of a new Railway division with Salem in Tamil Nadu as it headquarters.
However, it is opposed to bifurcation of Palakkad division, one of the oldest and profitable ones, for the purpose.
The prime minister had on Friday expressed his willingness to resolve the battle between Kerala and Tamil Nadu over it.
He said he had some ideas to end the stand-off.
Singh had conveyed this to a delegation of MPs from Kerala and senior CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury who called on him, seeking his intervention on the issue.