BJP State Chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar Dismisses Keralam's Concerns Over Palakkad Railway Division Split

Thiruvananthapuram: BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar has defended the Centre's decision to reorganise the Palakkad railway division, while dismissing concerns in Keralam over the move. He said the division's restructuring was not a major issue and described it as an administrative exercise by the Railways.

Speaking at a press conference in Delhi, Chandrasekhar said the Railways was a national organisation and that the inclusion of Mangaluru in the Mysuru division was part of an administrative reorganisation. He pointed out that Mangaluru was already connected to three railway divisions and argued that the restructuring of the Palakkad division was an internal administrative matter.

“What is Keralam's problem with it? Keralam will not suffer any loss,” Chandrasekhar said. He accused those opposing the Centre's decision of trying to mislead people and create a controversy to divert public attention.

The proposed restructuring comes after the Palakkad division recorded significant growth in revenue and passenger traffic. It earned more than ₹400 crore from passenger services alone up to July in the current financial year, marking a 13 per cent increase compared with the previous financial year.

Around three crore passengers travelled through the Palakkad division during the first four months, representing a 3.2 per cent increase over the previous year. The division ranked second in the All India Key Performance Indicator, which assesses the overall performance of 69 railway divisions across the country.

Between April and July, the division handled 2.504 million tonnes of freight, registering an 11.9 per cent increase. It handled 7.335 million tonnes of freight during the previous financial year, around 70 per cent of which was centred on Mangaluru.

The division also recorded its highest revenue in 12 years during the previous financial year.

The transfer of the Mangaluru region is expected to significantly reduce Palakkad's overall revenue. Apart from passenger and special services, 83 trains currently operate from Mangaluru station and will come under the Mysuru division after the restructuring.

Several other sources of revenue, including advertising, parking contracts, catering stalls and fees collected for commercial use of railway land, will also shift to the Mysuru division.

The move could leave Palakkad as a smaller division with limited financial viability, raising questions over Chandrasekhar's claim that the restructuring would cause no loss to Kerala.