Date:04/07/2009 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2009/07/04/stories/2009070454630500.htm

Tamil Nadu

Railway Budget a big disappointment for Coimbatore region

V.S. Palaniappan and R. Vimal Kumar

Coimbatore/Tirupur: Union Minister for Railways Mamata Banarjee in her opening remarks while presenting the Railway Budget mentioned that Indian Railways is the face of the economy. But industrial and tourism potential filled Coimbatore region has been left high and dry. Not a single long-pending demand of this region has found a place in the budget.

Even in the list of railway stations to be modernised, Coimbatore Junction is missing. Coimbatore despite being a second largest revenue spinner next to Chennai in the Southern Railway continues to face neglect or lack of adequate attention, says K. Kathirmathiyon, Secretary of Coimbatore Consumer Cause.

Coimbatore that houses a number of manufacturing industries, textile mills, hospitals and educational institutions is poor in terms of railway infrastructure, says S. Vaidyanathakrishnan of Coimbatore Railway Passengers Association.

The recently-commissioned gauge conversion work between Coimbatore and Dindigul is the vital link for providing rail connectivity between Western Tamil Nadu and southern districts. The project is expected to go through snails pace owing to poor budgetary allocation. Migrant workforce settled in Coimbatore is forced to relay on road transport. The Erode – Karur – Tiruchi – Madurai line is not able to accommodate more trains because of the pathway congestion.

Another example of neglect is the two-decade-old yet to be completed Coimbatore – Irugur line doubling. Doubling needs to be done only for 17 km and the Railways has taken two decades and the project is still not over. As a result of the single line bottleneck, many trains to and from Kerala are being diverted at Podanur and Irugur skipping Coimbatore Junction.

Long-pending demands such as introduction of a direct overnight express train service to Bangalore from Coimbatore and extension of the Thiruvananthapuram – Palakkad (Amrita Express) to Coimbatore had not materialised in this budget as well, said Jayakumar Ramadass, President of South Indian Engineering Manufacturers Association (SIEMA).

The plea for a tri-weekly train to Tirupati, additional overnight express train to Chennai, Jan Shatabdi Express to Chennai during the day and a Coimbatore – Goa train have gone unnoticed.

There has been a long-pending demand for introduction of a shuttle train service to Palani via Pollachi and Udumalpet, to Mettupalayam and to Salem via Tirupur and Erode. None of these demands have found even a mention in the budget, said Mahendra Ramdas, President of the Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Mr. Ramdas sought the implementation of Jodhpur – Bangalore Express via Coimbatore which was announced in the last budget.

Honorary Secretary of Residents Awareness Association of Coimbatore R.R. Balasundaram welcoming the budget for focusing on cleaner, safer and punctual train service lauded the Railway Minister for the effort to make tickets available at post offices and mobile vending counters. Dedicated freight corridors and the decision not to hike the fare are welcome. Inadequate allocation for the Coimbatore – Dindigul conversion and absence of a train to Rameshwaram via Erode – Karur – Tiruchi are the other disappointments.

Mixed reaction

The budget evoked mixed reaction among travellers and industrial fraternity in Tirupur. While industrialists and passenger associations welcomed the decision to keep the passenger and freight charges intact, they sounded disappointed that the Minister did not allocate adequate funds to expedite the works.

Terming the budget as ‘lopsided to West Bengal’, Lingam Chinnasamy, general secretary, Erode-Dharapuram-Palani Railway Extension Citizens Committee, says that the pleas for allocation of funds for execution of Erode-Palani track have fallen on deaf ears. The announcement to facilitate movement of textile products, village handicrafts and cottage industry from production clusters to consumption centres has brought cheers from the knitwear manufacturers.

A. Sakthivel, president of Tirupur Exporters Association, said that the step would immensely increase the outreach of textile products and its access to new markets.