BELAGAVI
Responding to allegations by residents in Velsao that the double-tracking has blocked the only traditional access to over 20 homes, the Railways has claimed this pathway was never a legally established right-of-way, adding that local authorities are responsible for ensuring citizen access through road acquisition.
When contacted, South Western Railway (SWR) Chief PRO Dr Manjunath Kanamadi sought to clarify on key conflicts and points of contention.
Commenting on Land ownership and survey records, Dr Kanamadi said villagers and local activists have argued that the land belongs to local families, backed by Portuguese-era title documents, and contend that SWR has failed to produce valid title or land acquisition documents for the stretch.
“Conversely, RVNL/SWR asserts that the land has been in the legal possession of Railways for over a century, and the ongoing process with the Inspector of Survey & Land Records (ISLR) is merely to verify, confirm, and assign formal survey numbers,” said Dr Kanamadi.
The outcome of the ISLR reports with regards to the survey numbers is awaited by the Railways, he ascertained.
On the issue of locals claiming that the double-tracking has destroyed the only traditional access route to over 20 homes and has left residents landlocked, Dr Kanamadi replied: “RVNL maintains that this pathway was never a legally established right-of-way, but a casual, permissive use of railway land tolerated during single-track operations.”
The SWR Chief PRO also sought to refute accusations by locals that authorities are violating administrative directions issued during a June 19 meeting by resuming work before completing the joint ISLR site survey or producing title documents.
“RVNL counters that the district administration withdrew those directives after learning the matter was sub-judice before the ISLR Court, clarifying that there are no active instructions to halt work.”
Responding to the demand that railway authorities should ensure an access road to nearly 20 houses, Dr Kanamadi replied: “The RVNL emphasises that Town Planning and local bodies (Municipalities/Corporations/State Government) are responsible for ensuring citizen access through road acquisition, asserting that railway land dedicated to national infrastructure cannot be diverted for public access.”
