Save Mysuru train: Dharwad residents

Hubballi: As per the instruction of minister of state for railways Suresh Angadi , South Western Railway (SWR) has decided to extend train No. 17301/17302 Mysuru-Dharwad-Dharwad till Miraj to facilitate passengers of Belagavi , which is Angadi's constituency.

However, Dharwad residents have started an online campaign objecting to this decision.

They fear that they will lose their seats as they will have to share the same number of seats with Belagavi passengers. Some of the activists have already approached railway minister Piyush Goyal registering their protest over the matter.

Datt Kulkarni, a techie who has written a letter to Goyal, said the train is fully patronized at Dharwad and Hubballi itself. “It’s been convenient for people of Gadag, Uttara Kannada, Haveri and Davanagere districts and its current timing is convenient for all. Extending the train to Miraj will cause a lot of hardship to thousands of commuters. Every day over 500 passengers travel in unreserved coaches and they will be deprived of even a basic seat. If the same number of reserved seats are shared with Belagavi and Miraj passengers, the possibility of passengers getting seats in Hubballi-Dharwad will be reduced drastically,” he added.

Kiran Hiremath, the admin of Facebook page Dharwad Bonds said that if the timing of the train is changed after the extension, the train will reach Dharwad at 4am, which is an inconvenient time for Dharwad residents. “This is the only overnight train between the two cultural capitals of the state and it should be retained as it is. SWR can instead introduce another train between Miraj and Mysuru to facilitate Belagavi people,” he urged.

Upendra Kukanur, the admin of HubliCity-eGroup, said additional bogies should be added to some other trains arriving from Miraj at Dharwad and then they could be linked to the Dharwad-Mysuru train. “The Dharwad train is not only convenient for Dharwad residents but it is facilitating passengers of Dandeli, Bailhongal, Savadatti and many other towns. If the train is extended to Miraj, it is expected to arrive in Dharwad after 12 midnight. If that is the case, passengers will prefer buses. By this extension, SWR is indirectly creating space for private buses,” he feared.

Meanwhile Hubballi-Dharwad citizens are demanding the intervention of Dharwad MP and Union minister Pralhad Joshi on this matter through social media.

Belgaum District Kannada Organizations Action Committee president Ashok Chandargi said that issue should not become a dispute between Belagavi and Hubballi-Dharwad.

“SWR should extend the Dharwad-Mysuru first. Later it should start a separate train from Miraj to Mysuru. Angadi should be pro-active to start another train like he did with the new Belagavi-Bengaluru train,” he said.