Udupi advocate Benedict Noronha slaps legal notice on Union Minister

TMJ

Udupi, 20 March 2010: In a bid to alert the government about promises that have failed to materialise, Benedict Noronha, an Udupi advocate has slapped a legal notice on  K H Muniyappa, the Union Minister of State for Railways.

The three-page notice, mailed to Rail Bhavan, New Delhi on Mar 8th was addressed to Muniyappa. The notice called his attention to the fact that three train services which were to be extended along the coastline and within the state that have not yet been implemented. Before the Budget session, the Minister had promised to extend the Bangalore-Mangalore Rail to Udupi, Kundapura, Karwar and Vasco in Goa. He had also assured the public of a daytime train from Bangalore to Mangalore, Kundapura and Baindoor, as well as an extension of the Mumbai-Karwar train to Mangalore. However, after the Budget presentation, there was no mention of these in its provisions.

Three organisations in Udupi have been promoting the interest of the local travellers by pressing for an extension of services, since Udupi, Mangalore and the coastline suffer from lesser connectivity. They approached the Minister in Bangalore and were reassured of an increase in services. The Udupi Yatra Sangh had also handed over more than three memorandums to this effect, but to no avail.

Benedict Noronha has, on the behalf of the general public also forwarded the notice to Meira Kumar, the speaker of the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, General Secretary of the All-India Congress Committee (AICC) and Sonia Gandhi, President of the AICC.

“My point is that this man, chosen from Karnataka by the UPA government to promote more facilities, has breached his promise,” said Noronha. “When you swear and take an oath of office, you are legally and morally bound to look into the problems of the state. The legal notice is to alert the government that we can take legal action for breach of trust and defiling the provisions of the Constitution,” she added.

Noronha, an advocate for 10 years in Udupi also said that the Bombay-Karwar train stopped at the latter station for nine hours until it returned to Bombay, which was more than enough time for it to reach Mangalore and return on schedule. There is currently no train running from Karwar to the south during the day. If the Bangalore-Mangalore early morning train was extended to Udupi, he said, hundreds of workers could avail of that transport. Manipal University students would also benefit from increased connectivity.

“When one person promises, he has an idea of the facilities and feasibilities”, said Noronha. “All the facilities are there. If there weren’t any, then he would not have said anything,” he added. Bangalore’s pre-Budget railway plans have all been approved. The neglect of the coastal area can be contested as discrimination under Article 14 of the Constitution.

The advocate does not believe that a mass rally or protest would help his cause and expressed his inability to mobilise the masses. ‘It is not fair to take rallies and protest against our own representatives and leaders, who are in power.’ reads the notice.

The reply to the notice, which urges Muniappa to ‘wake up’ may not come for atleast two months. However, Noronha hopes to receive one. “I’m an independent person. I have a right to ask questions and seek information”, he said.