KANNIYAKUMARI : Even as the long pending demand of the residents of Oottuvalmadam and nearby areas for the construction of a subway near the Nagercoil junction railway station has been fulfilled, they are yet to reap the benefits of the subway as the construction of the pathways to it has not been completed.
The Oottuvalmadam railway gate is located on the western side of the Nagercoil junction railway station. Residents of Oottuvalmadam, Mela Karuppukottai and Illupaiyadi Colony had to cross the railway gate to reach Nagercoil.
The railway subway construction began last year to allow people to cross the road without having to wait for the trains to cross.
SS Mani, a resident of the area, said, “The construction of a railway subway after shifting the railway gate was a long pending demand of the residents of Oottuvalmadam and nearby areas. While the construction work began last year and was completed, the pathways on either side are yet to be completed.”
Mani urged the railways authorities to expedite the work and open the subway soon.
J Paul Dhas, a farmer, said he has to cross the railway gate frequently to visit a farm. “As the temporary railway gate is closed frequently, we have to wait for a long time, sometimes even 45 minutes.”
Kanniyakumari District Railway Users' Association (KKDRUA) president SR Sreeram said that the Oottuvalmadam railway gate was an old railway gate. As people from Oottuvalmadam and other residential areas faced hardships, the subway was proposed by the railways at a cost of Rs 4.5 crore, after representations by people and various organisations