The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Railways urged not to shift office

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Thursday, Jun 28, 2007
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Kerala

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Railways urged not to shift office

Special Correspondent

Parties, leaders stage protests in city

Minister writes
to Lalu Prasad
Intervention of
the Prime Minister
sought

Thiruvananthapuram: The decision of the Railways to shift its office of the Chief Engineer (Construction) from here to Chennai sparked off a spate of protests in the city on Wednesday.

Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) workers took out a march to the central railway station and blocked the Kerala Express by squatting on the tracks. The train was delayed by about 20 minutes.

DYFI State treasurer P.V. Ramesan inaugurated the sit-in. Panniyan Ravindran, MP, DYFI State joint secretary T.V. Rajesh and other leaders addressed the protesters.

The leaders said the Railways’ decision to shift the office was part of a conspiracy hatched by regional interests to downgrade the Thiruvananthapuram division and bring down its revenue. They urged the Railways to retain the office here.

Mr. Ravindran called upon Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Railway Minister Lalu Prasad to immediately intervene to stop the relocation.

He said it would hamper the development of the railway network in Kerala.

“Coming as it does at a time when several major projects are halfway through, the decision gives room for suspicion. It smacks of discrimination against the State,” he said.

Any delay in the ongoing gauge conversion and line-doubling works would have long-term implications for the State.

“It is no coincidence that many of the crucial railway establishments are being shifted from Kerala,” he said.

Minister’s plea

Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister M. Vijayakumar asked Mr. Prasad to reconsider the decision. In a fax message sent to Mr. Prasad, he said that that it would affect the ongoing track doubling and the new schemes announced in the Railway budget, such as the Mainline Electric Multiple Unit suburban train and bullet train.

He conveyed the State’s strong protest over the move, and urged the Railway Minister to withdraw the hasty decision.

DCC alleges plot

The District Congress Committee (DCC) urged the Union Government to retain the office here. In a fax message to Mr. Prasad and Minister of State for Railways R. Velu, DCC president V.S. Sivakumar said the relocation of the office would affect the doubling of the Thiruvananthapuram-Ernakulam and Shoranur-Mangalapuram lines, gauge conversion of the Kollam-Shencottah stretch and construction of the second terminal at Kochuveli. He alleged that the decision was part of a plot aimed at derailing railway development in the State.

Mr. Sivakumar called upon MPs from the State to join hands against what he called the “Chennai lobby” that was behind the decision. He said it was unfortunate that the MPs had failed to respond when the Deputy Accountant’s office was shifted from here to Chennai a few months ago.

The Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha workers took out a march to the central railway station and burned Mr. Prasad in effigy to protest against the decision.

Bharatiya Janata Party State general secretary A.N. Radhakrishnan inaugurated the dharna staged by the workers.

Party district president C. Sivankutty and general secretary Karamana Jayan were among those who spoke.

The Revolutionary Youth Front State committee has expressed strong protest over the decision to shift the office.

‘Send team to Centre’

The Federation of Residents Associations, Thiruvananthapuram, has urged the State Government to send an all-party delegation to the Centre to persuade the Railways to withdraw the order shifting the office.

The Capital City Development Forum said the decision would hamper the electrification of the Thiruvananthapuram-Kanyakumari section, modernisation of the central railway station and proposal to establish a bogie-manufacturing unit at Cherthala.

A press note quoting forum secretary K.T. Roy appealed to the Thiruvananthapuram and Chirayinkeezh MPs to pressure the Union Government to drop the decision.

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