Elected reps for new railway station at Metagalli

MLAs stress on widening of roads, facilities at main station

The railway officials have agreed in-principle for a new railway station near
the Mysore New Goods Terminal at Metagalli.

After a meeting with the team of elected representatives, Divisional railway Manager, South Western Railway, Vinod Kumar, here, on Saturday, agreed to bring the demand to the notice of higher officials to set up the new railway station at Metagalli.

Mysore and Kodagu MP A H Vishwanath, Chamaraja MLA Vasu and N R MLA Tanveer Sait and ex-MLA M Satyanarayana urged for the new station, which would help many commuters of surrounding areas.

The team, along with Deputy Commissioner C Shikha, Commissioner of Mysore City Corporation P G Ramesh, Commissioner of Mysore Urban Development Authority C G Betsurmath, Chief Engineer of SWR C M Ranganath and other officials inspected the goods terminal near Metagalli after inspecting the Chamarajapuram Railway station. Vasu said, the new railway station at Metagalli would help residents of Metagalli, Hebbal Industrial Area, Kumbarakoppal, Vijayanagar and Belagola.

The place now is in a dilapidated condition and it could be converted into a railway station. He said, establishment of a new station would also be an advantage to ease traffic flow near the main Railway station.

Vasu mentioned of the funds released for widening of roads at B M Sri Nagar and N R Constituency. A total of Rs 15 crore has been released for the purpose. Most of the roads in the localities are in a pathetic condition, which forces ambulances to take a detour during emergencies.

“The issue was brought to the notice of Vinay Kumar Sorke, Minister for Urban Development, during his last visit to Mysore. The department has released Rs six crore for Chamaraja constituency and Rs nine crore for Narasimharaja,” he added.

Nurm projects

Vishwanath, meanwhile, took the officials to task and said, many projects under JnNURM first phase were not up to the mark due to the apathy of officials of various departments. He alleged lack of coordination among the officers and instructed them to be careful during the works under the second phase. “A meeting would be held on August 2 with officers of all departments as well as experts regarding the works,” he added.

He stressed on the requirement of a footbridge at Chamarajapuram Railway Station. The MP said, the plan has not materialised due to the presence of the Law Court complex and opposition by K G Koppal residents. “Steps would be taken after holding a meeting with the residents of K G Koppal and judges,” he said.

Meanwhile, Tanveer Sait alleged that the railway officials had failed to provide hi-tech facilities at the Railway Station, which has a history of 150 years. He stressed on the need for a train from Mysore to Salem. Though the platforms at the station was increased to six from two, no facilities have been provided for passengers. The department has encroached upon the road for commercial purpose against the plan, he alleged.

Sait said, the proposed D Devaraj Urs Bhavan, on the land adjacent to the railway station was still in the pipeline owing to hurdles posed from the department. “There has been no response from the higher officers to our letters,” he added.