MADURAI: If the country can swap land on the border with its neighbour Bangladesh, can’t two railway divisions do the same? With allegations of partiality continuing unabated for over three decades, rail users of Tirunelveli and Kanniyakumari in Tamil Nadu, and Kollam in Kerala are campaigning to merge these districts to the railway division within their respective states.
Trouble began in 1979 when Thiruvananthapuram division was carved out of Madurai division. At that time, the railway infrastructure in Tirunelveli and Kanniyakumari in Tamil Nadu were added to the new division, while that in Kollam remained with Madurai. Under this bifurcation, Tirunelveli-Nagercoil-Kanniyakumari (90 km ) and Nagercoil-Kuzhithurai railway lines (33 km) came under Thiruvananthapuram division, thus starting the allegations of step-motherly treatment.
The rail users in south Tamil Nadu accuse Thiruvananthapuram division of operating majority of trains via Kerala, neglecting south Tamil Nadu districts, citing the example of few express trains that originate from Tamil Nadu but traverse through Kerala instead of going through this State.
Island Express from Kanniyakumari to Bangaluru, a direct train that was introduced after a long-standing demand, is one such instance. “Instead of operating the trains via Madurai, the train is being operated via Thiruvananthapuram and Palakkad. For us in the south, it means travelling an additional 200 km and spending extra money to reach Bengaluru, just because the train was introduced by the Thiruvananthapuram division,” charges Kanniyakumari District Rail Users Association secretary P Edward Jeni.
The case is same with Tirunelveli-Bilaspur Express, Kanyakumari-Dibrugarh Express and Nagercoil-Shalimar Express, all of which operate via Thiruvananthapuram-Eranakulam-Coimbatore instead of the shorter route via Madurai and Erode.
“Whenever we sought new trains to Nagercoil, we were told there was no additional platforms and new lines. This is because the six trains operated for Kerala’s benefit occupy the platforms and tracks in Nagercoil station, where the infrastructure has not been upgraded in the past 30 years,” Jeni adds.
Congress MLA from Colachel, J G Prince, said most of the people from these districts had to travel to Madurai and Chennai for higher education, medical treatment and business. “Only Madurai division can serve this region better,” he says.
This anger has brought in bad-blood as well. Former principal of Scott Christian College and Chairman of Kanyakumari Institute of Development Studies, D Peter, said matters like this created a sense of mistrust in the minds of the people here. “They feel hurt when they are neglected and only the interest of the people of Kerala is being served,” he said. The politicians from here have failed in understanding the sentiments of the people, Peter alleged.
The annoyance is mutual. Nazar Khan Meera Sahib Asan, a member of Madurai Division Rail Users Consultative Committee from Kollam sub-division, said the Tamil engineering officials from Madurai Division had no knowledge of the geography and topography of Kerala. “When we demand new trains or extension of trains, the officials in Madurai division behave like Tamil Nadu government officials,” Asan alleges.
The Madurai Division neglected Kollam, he adds, pointing out the case of the demand from Kollam MP N K Premachandran to develop eco-tourism at Tenmalai, Ottakkal, Aryankavu and Edapalayam stations. “There has been no sign of it so far,” said Asan, who has come to become a staunch support of merger, just like Jeni, but here with the Thiruvananthapuram Division.
The suggestions have got traction as the gauge conversion work between Sengottai and Punalur is likely to be completed by the year-end. This 88-km railway line is a crucial section, which once was a high revenue generating route since its commissioning in 1904. However, the gauge conversion work has already taken over a decade - apparently because the section is situated in two states. This has prompted a rethink among even a section of railway officials, sources said.
Exchanging railway lines between Thiruvananthapuram and Madurai divisions could be a solution for the troubles faced by these border districts, said an official from the Southern Rail. “But more than being an administrative matter, this is a decision that should be taken politically,” the official added.