New Delhi, Dec 28 (UNI) Two BJP MPs from Karnataka today asked the Railway Ministry to heed to the demands of the traders and maize farmers of the state for providing adequate number of rail rakes for enabling them to shift the maize grown in over nine districts of the state.

In their letter to Minister of State for Railways Mr Manjunath Kunnur and G M Siddeshwar reminded that the state was producing around 25 lakh tonnes of maize in the districts of Haveri, Davanagere, Shimoga, Koppal, Gadag, Dharwad, Bellary and Belgaum.

Much of this produce was exported by the traders out of the state for earning better prices, they said.

However, they lamented that the Railways since the last one week had drastically reduced the number of rakes to two for the entire Mysore and Hubli Division which was too inadequate to serve the purpose. Quoting official figures, the MPs said that the earning during 2005-06, the state was earning more than 100 crores during the four to five months in the maize producing districts including Rs 16.50 crores in Ranebennur Taluk.

The traders and farmers had theatened to launch a Rail Roko agitation if the Railways failed to provide enough rakes for maize transport and the Railways must provide necessary number of rakes in the larger interest of the farmers like in the previous years, the MPs said.

UNI