Railway minister holds meeting on board train

BELAGAVI: Union Minister of State for Railways Suresh Angadi on Tuesday held a meeting of top railway officials on board a special train between Belagavi and Goa. As part of his efforts to bolster rail service between Belagavi and Goa, the minister reviewed pending works on the route and directed officials to expedite works to improve train service. Soon after the meeting, Angadi said due to incessant rainfall in the Western Ghats, several works on this route got hampered.

He said he inspected the route between Madgaon and Londa on Tuesday to get all the ongoing works expedited. “The department is committed to bolstering rail service on this route in the coming days to promote tourism,’’ he added. During his onboard meeting, he sought information about the measures taken to ensure safety of passengers.

The minister also suggested a string of initiatives to improve the existing system in the larger interests of people depending on trains on a regular basis. While highlighting the rising number of people in both Goa and Belagavi who depended on trains to operate their businesses, Angadi called upon the officials to initiate measures to meet their demands. On Wednesday, Angadi will attend a series of programmes of the Railway Department in Goa after flagging off the Belagavi-Goa passenger train at 11 am at Vasco railway station in that state.