KARUR: People of Sithalavai have threatened to boycott the local body elections after they were informed about the closing of the Sithalavai railway station in Krishnarayapuram. The railway station is more than 100 years old.
A railway official, however, denied there was any such proposal. Krishnarayapuram, an Assembly constituency, is one of the major rural areas of the district. The station is located between Mayanur and Lalapet and a lot of people depend on trains for daily travel.
“When we submitted a petition with the railway department requesting halt for a few more trains, officials replied that no new train stoppages will be introduced and that the station was already running under a loss. Now they are considering to close it down permanently. Many students depend on trains to go to colleges in Karur, Kulithalai and Tiruchy. Their education will be affected if the station is closed,” said Amirthanantham, a social activist from Sithalavai.
Currently, there are 10 passenger train services. Only passenger trains halt in the station and officials cited poor revenue generation as among the reasons for closing the station. Bharathi, a farmer said, “Krishnarayapuram is famous for bananas and betel. We take our produce to Karur and Trichy.
Trains are far cheaper than buses. On top of that we don’t need to shell money for luggage charges on trains. If the station is closed, we have to shift to costlier transportation. So the railway department must withdraw their decision to shut down the station.”
Apart from farmers and students, people working in textile, mosquito net manufacturing industries and various other sectors in Karur use the station. They have now threatened to boycott the local body polls if the station is closed.
A railway official said the station would not be shut. “The Sithalavai railway station has a single track. It does not have a secondary one for crossing. Also, the track is located on a curvy path. All these factors make it difficult for more stoppages. Currently, there is no plan to close the station.”