In a bid to allow a halt for Parasuram Express at Tripunithura railway station and extending Kochi Metro Rail from Petta to Tripunithura in the first phase, the residents here are organising a series of protests from January-end.
The stir will begin with a dharna at Statue Junction on January 25. It will be inaugurated by P Rajeev MP.
The residents said that a halt for Parasuram Express at Tripunithura is a long-pending demand. “For travelling to Thiruvananthapuram, the people of Tripunithura and nearby areas have to depend on North Railway Station to board a train. As traffic congestion is high in the city, many passengers are unable to reach other railway stations in time. Though there were promises from authorities concerned, including Ministers, to allow a halt for Parasuram Express at Tripunithura several years ago, nothing has been done so far,” said Tripunithura Rajanagari Union of Residents Association (TRURA) chairman V P Prasad.
The residents are also planning to highlight the advantages of extension of Metro Rail from Petta to Tripunithura.
“Petta, which has been decided as a terminal point of Kochi Metro in the first phase, does not have the space to accommodate the required facilities such as metro station-cum-commercial complex, parking area for commuters and loco service station. Also the area is thickly populated. Large-scale eviction would be needed to set up a Metro terminal. If extended to Tripunithura, there will be an integration of Metro Rail, Tripunithura railway station and the proposed bus terminal which would hugely benefit the passengers,” Prasad said. As part of intensifying the stir, various seminars will also be organised in the coming days.
Union Minister K V Thomas said that talks are on between him and the railway authorities.
“The railway authorities have promised to allow a halt for Parasuram Express at Tripunithura Railway station. More trains will get a halt at Edappally and Tripunithura,” he said.