The Member of Parliament from Dakshina Kannada, Capt Brijesh Chowta, has urged the Karnataka Chief Minister, DK Shivakumar, to support the Railway Board’s decision to bring Mangaluru under the Mysuru Division of South Western Railway (SWR) zone from October 1. At present, Mangaluru region is under Palakkad division of Southern Railway (SR).In a letter to Shivakumar, Capt Chowta said the Kerala Chief Minister has approached the Prime Minister seeking reconsideration of the notification, while MPs from Kerala have publicly opposed its implementation.Stating that this need not be viewed as taking a position against a neighbouring state, Capt Chowta said the question is one of railway administration and the operational and developmental requirements of Mangaluru. The Government of India has considered the matter and formally notified its decision. At a time when its reconsideration is being actively sought, Karnataka’s considered position should also be formally placed before the Union Government, he said.Recalling Shivakumar’s meeting with MPs from Karnataka after assuming charge as Karnataka Chief Minister, Capt Chowta said Shivakumar had emphasised the need to rise above party differences and work together on matters concerning the interests of Karnataka.Stating that he welcomed that approach then, Capt Chowta said he believes that the same principle applies equally to the present matter.“Several political leaders and Members of Parliament from Keralam, belonging to your own party, have taken a clear public position seeking reversal of the decision. They are doing so in what they consider to be the interests of their State. In these circumstances, it would be difficult for the people of coastal Karnataka to understand if the Government of Karnataka were to remain silent on a formally notified decision directly concerning Mangaluru and the railway interests of the State,” Capt Chowta said.The decision to bring Mangaluru under Mysuru division of SWR addresses a long-standing demand of the people of coastal Karnataka. For many years, the railway network around Mangaluru has been administered through different railway establishments, requiring works and operational matters concerning the same city to be pursued through different authorities.He said the revised arrangement is also important for Karnataka as a whole. Mysuru Division already administers the Hassan-Mangaluru section, which provides the principal rail connection between the coast and the interior of Karnataka.Bringing the Mangaluru railway area within the same divisional framework will allow the coastal terminal, the ghat section and the inland corridor towards Hassan and Mysuru to be planned and administered in a more integrated manner. This should enable better coordination on capacity augmentation, infrastructure works, passenger services and freight movement, instead of requiring matters concerning the same transport corridor to be dealt with across different railway administrations.He said Mangaluru is also Karnataka’s principal maritime gateway. New Mangalore Port serves the industrial and commercial hinterland of the state and depends substantially on rail connectivity for movement of cargo. The revised arrangement therefore gives Karnataka an opportunity to approach the Mangaluru-Hassan-Mysuru axis as an integrated passenger and freight corridor connecting the coast and the port with the interior of the state.“I have pursued this issue consistently since being elected to Parliament. In November 2024, along with fellow Members of Parliament from Karnataka, I took up with the Minister of Railways the railway issues affecting Mangaluru and the Hassan-Mangaluru corridor, while also seeking the support of the State government. Thereafter, I continued to pursue the reorganisation of Mangaluru’s railway administration with the Union Government, including during the discussion on the Demands for Grants of the Ministry of Railways in March 2025 and through Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No 4148 dated March 26, 2025,” he said.Requesting the Karnataka Chief Minister to convey to the Prime Minister and the Railway Minister Karnataka government’s support for implementation of Railway Board notification, Capt Chowta said: “Such a communication would be entirely consistent with the spirit of cooperation across party lines that you yourself have advocated on matters concerning Karnataka.”Published on August 25, 2026