RANIPET: The people of Pallur village in Arakkonam, Ranipet are forced to cross the railway track as the Thirumalpur railway underpass has been flooded for the past four months. The water from the nearby Virudhasiru river (a tributary of Palar) is seeping into this underpass following heavy rains in the last two months and ever since, the water has been stagnant on the underpass upto four feet height.
The people who use this underpass—especially pedestrians and vehicle users from Pallur, Thirumalpur, Nelvai, Seenapuram, and Keezh Venbakkam are suffering on a daily basis.
Settu Rajagopal, a farmer from Pallur said that over 1,000 two wheelers and several buses have suffered breakdown or damages also due to driving in the flooded waters. “School children are crossing the railway track to go to school, which is extremely dangerous. At night, crossing becomes nearly impossible, and even ambulances are unable to pass through during emergencies,” he said.
According to sources, when the Arakkonam–Chengalpattu railway line was a metre-gauge line, there existed a railway level crossing no 119 adjacent to this location. When the line was converted from metre-gauge to broad gauge, the level crossing was removed and this underpass was constructed on the Panapakkam–Pallur main road.
The railway underpass is located on state highway 58 which connects Arakkonam to Kanchipuram, Chengalpattu, Tiruttani, etc. However, residents alleged that neither the railways nor the highways department was maintaining it properly. A month back, Ranipet Collector JU Chandrakala had also inspected the area, however, residents alleged that no action has been taken yet.
While the water is pumped out everyday using a motor, residents demanded a permanent solution like installation of an automatic submersible electric motor.
Meanwhile, AIADMK Arakkonam S Ravi visited the area on Sunday and addressing media, he said, “Residents of Pallur, Thirumalpur, and several nearby villages use this underpass to travel to Kanchipuram and Panapakkam SIPCOT area.
The government must take immediate action to permanently drain the accumulated water within a week and to construct a railway overbridge at the earliest.” He added that a protest would soon be organised by AIADMK along with the villagers if no action is taken.