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Thursday, Jan 21, 2010
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Officials will look into the problems: Railway GM

Staff Reporter

Karur-Salem BG line to be commissioned fully by 2011

KARUR: When the rail users and commuters presented a slew of petitions to the visiting Southern Railway General Manager Deepak Krishan at the Karur Junction on Tuesday, most of them were like a litany of woes and some others represented long wish list. The senior official graciously received those petitions but merely said that the officials would look into any problem confronting the rail users at the junction and elsewhere.

Prominent among the demands pertained to the provision of basic amenities at the Karur junction, Lalapet railway gate issue, Karur-Salem new BG line work, train halts, increase in quota of berths in trains and reopening of the now defunct Puliyur railway station. Those who presented petitions seeking the public facilities, included the Karur District Train Travellers’ Welfare Association, Southern Railway Divisional Rail Users’ Committee member Karur H. Shahul Hameed, President of the Karur District Chamber of Commerce K. Raju, Coordinator of the Lalapet Railway Gate Struggle Committee Coordinator S. Krishnamachari, public from Chinthalavadi and Puliyur regions, besides textile industry representatives.

Though each group had a list of grievances the commonest among them were the opening of the newly constructed toilets at the Karur Junction that have remained under lock and key for the past two years. When the matter was referred to the General Manager, he promptly said that it was a pay-and-use toilet and said that contractors were not coming forward to maintain the facility at “affordable rates” for the public.

It’s another matter that the authorities are not able to maintain services such as the automatic platform ticket vending machine that has been lying idle for the past several months now, lack of provision for safe drinking water, roofing over platform 2 and pavement and roofing over platform 3, inadequate chairs at platforms 2 and 3, pointed out Mr. Shahul Hameed.

Worst negligence of public interest on the part of the authorities comes across in allowing the continued non-functioning of telephone enquiry number 131 that used to give information on train schedule. Sources point out with record that the authorities have not remitted the bill for the telephone connection concerned and the BSNL authorities promptly snapped the link depriving the public access to timely information. The bill amount was close to Rs.10,000.

The abnormal fee collected by the contractor at the railway station two-wheeler parking lot also came under blame and petitions have drawn the attention of the General Manager for the anomaly in the parking fee collection that was being calculated for 12 hours instead of the regular 24 hours.

For all the queries the General Manager nodded his head and said officials would look into the matter.

As far the Lalapet railway gate issue, Mr. Deepak Krishan made it clear that the authorities were not inclined to reopen the closed railway level crossing on any account but would concede a sub-way or a foot-over bridge and a ramp at the area for helping the people cross the track. Members of the Committee and the Lalapet Traders’ Association were contemplating further moves.

The authorities had put up display boards detailing the technical aspects of the Karur-Salem new Broad Gauge line linking Namakkal, work on which has been moving at a snail’s pace over the past decade and more. When media persons pointed out the assurances and the subsequent slowdown in the pace of work, Mr. Deepak Krishan, after hearing out the officers, said that the project would be commissioned fully by 2011.

On the whole the ritual of a GM’s inspection visit to Karur Junction went off rather smoothly but what it brings to the Karur Junction and to its people and rail users remains to be seen.

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