Mysuru:  The Railways have clarified that there is no blockage of the two-furlong road at Bannimantap that connects Hazrath Gumnam Shahwali Dargah Road and Ring Road.

Reacting to the news item published in Star of Mysore dated Mar.4  ‘Truckers demand Railways to clear public road,’ Railway Senior Divisional Commercial Manager and Public Relation Officer has stated that the road has not been blocked.

“This clarification is regarding opening of Railway land for road traffic. There is no such blockage of road by Railways as mentioned in the news item and there is no road in the stretch as claimed,”  he has stated.

“Mysuru New Goods Terminal (MNGT) is the centre of all goods activities catering to the needs of freight traffic destined to in and around Mysuru area. The new road way which is being sought cannot be made as it will come close to permanent way (track) and trespass cannot be permitted near the track, that too heavy movement of trucks which is a safety issue. The present road arrangement is functioning smoothly from goods shed area side. Hence in view of safety, the new road cannot be made,” the officer has stated.

On Mar.4, a group of truckers led by Railway Goods Shed Lorry Owners’ Association staged a protest near Srinivasa Talkies at Bannimantap demanding the Railways to open the Hazrath Gumnam Shahwali Dargah Road for truck traffic.

The road provides a direct connection between Railway Goods Shed and the Ring Road. As the road is blocked, trucks are using the Jodi Thenginamara Road, leading to frequent road blocks and accidents on that stretch due to the constant movement of heavy vehicles and other small vehicles.

Reacting to SOM about the Railway clarification, Abdul Khader Shahid, Secretary of the Railway Goods Shed Lorry Owners’ Association, said that the clarification was misleading. “We are not asking for a new road but the opening of an old road that has been blocked by the Railways claiming it as their own and by dumping mud and construction debris,” he said.

“The Hazrath Gumnam Shahwali Dargah Road was developed with a cost of Rs.16 crore due to the efforts of Minister Tanveer Sait. The road was developed and a new bridge has been constructed for connectivity exclusively for the movement of trucks. A mountain near the Dargah was also partly cleared to facilitate the road construction. Despite all these efforts, the Railways have not budged and have refused to clear the road,” he said.

“Let the Railways verify before making blind claims. We unload food grains and other materials supplied by the government. We are doing government’s work here and we are not able to understand why the Railways are doing this to us,” Abdul added.

When asked about their next move, Abdul said that the Railways must provide a solution. “It is a public facility and if the Railways open the road, the pressure on Jodi Thenginamara Road will be eased. They must conduct an inspection of the Dargah Road and take into account the public benefits before denying the public facility,” he said and added that it was up to the Railways to solve the deadlock.