DHARMAPURI: Passengers using Morappur railway station have urged Southern Railway to take immediate steps to renovate the footoverbridge, which has fallen into disrepair due to five years of neglect.
orappur station in Dharmapuri is one of the key transit points used by locals to travel to Chennai. Over 20 trains pass through the station daily, and 400 to 500 passengers use it regularly. A footoverbridge was constructed for the benefit of passengers.
However, due to a lack of maintenance, the structure now shows visible signs of damage, including cracks and an increase in vegetation growth. S Nandhakumar, a resident of Morappur, said, “The overbridge was built in 2004 and remained in regular use until the Covid-19 lockdown.
With no people moving for years, the vegetation started growing on the structure. So people were forced to use the road to cross instead of the overbridge. A renovation could bring it to use.”
Another resident, R P Saravanan added, “People from Sandhaimedu, Morappur bus stand, Annanagar, and other areas would use this footoverbridge . But at night, there are no lights here and it has become a hangout spot for the local miscreants.
Many people are dissuaded from using the overpass and are afraid that the structure may collapse. So renovations are needed and lights must be fixed too.”
When TNIE spoke to Morappur station officials, they said, “Efforts are underway by the Southern Railway and the matter has been brought to the knowledge of the concerned authorities.