The government has been urged to rename the Mysuru railway station after Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar in recognition of his contribution to the expansion of railways.
Mysuru MP Pratap Simha has written a letter to the Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa in this connection and described the various administrative measures taken by the then maharaja in improving rural infrastructure, public health, education, agriculture, irrigation, industry and railways.
Mr. Simha said Krishnaraja Wadiyar was a visionary not just content with merely starting famine relief work when the need for them arose. “Expanding the rail network in the State to meet the emergent situations due to droughts and famines and for monetising the rich material resources were priority items under his administration’’, said Mr. Simha.
He had the conviction that transportation of citizens by rail can have a profound moral influence on the habits and customs of the people and set out on a mission to propagate the idea that railways could break caste prejudices, said Mr. Simha in his letter.
The letter said programmes with pragmatism led to the proliferation of the railway network in the State which had paused during 1900-1910 owing to financial stringency. Sensing the urgency the State administration under Krishnaraja Wadiyar adopted a vigorous programme by establishing a State Railway Construction Department in 1912 and it was actively involved in the promotion and construction of railway lines.
Listing the new lines commissioned during Krishnaraja Wadiyar’s period, the letter noted that between 1916 and 1918, 373.28 km of newly laid track was commissioned. Some of the major railway lines commissioned during his period included Mysuru-Arsikere line in 1918, Chikjajur-Chitradurga in 1921, Nanjangud-Chamarajanagar in 1926, and Shivamogga-Anandapuram in 1934. Between 1913 and 1918, narrow gauge lines between Bowringpet-Chikkaballapur and Bengaluru-Chikkaballapur Light Railway were also opened for passenger traffic, as per Mr. Simha’s letter.
All railway lines leased to Southern Mahratta Railway and Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway were reverted to Mysore State Railway during his period. Besides, the rulers of Mysore opened the railway line from Bengaluru to Mysore in 1882. It was pointed out that the present office of the Mysuru Divisional Railway was built during the rule of Krishnaraja Wadiyar. His contribution spanned other fields also and the emergence of Karnataka as an economic powerhouse was due to the strong foundations laid by him, according to Mr. Simha.
Hence he urged the Chief Minister to write to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs to change the name of Mysuru railway station to Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar junction as a mark of respect to the legacy of a visionary.
As per the existing guidelines, the Ministry of Home Affairs is the competent authority to approve change in the name of a railway station based on the recommendation of the State government, Mr. Simha added.
