PUDUCHERRY: Leader of the Opposition in Puducherry Assembly and Villianur MLA R Siva held talks with officials from the Southern Railway following public protests over the ongoing railway construction activities in Pudunagar area.
Southern Railway has been carrying out track expansion and wall construction work across several locations in Puducherry, Villianur, Chinnababusamudram, Valavanur and Villupuram for the past two months. As part of the work, a road in Pudunagar under Villianur area, which had been used by the public for over 50 years, was recently marked as railway property and fenced.
Residents protested the action, claiming that it affected access to their house and blocked the way for essential services like ambulance and fire engine. In this connection, Siva had requested railway authorities to leave a five-foot passage for the public and construct a boundary wall without disrupting access. However, railway officials began using heavy machinery to cut into the tarmac and lay the foundation for concrete pillars.
As tension rose, Siva visited the area on Friday and held discussions with the railway officials. He urged the department to revise the construction plan and not to disturb the public.
Tension in the locality came down after the meeting.