Title - The Hindu : NATIONAL / TAMIL NADU : Building adjacent to station entrance puts railways on a sticky

Building adjacent to station entrance puts railways on a sticky wicket

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Construction might prove to be detrimental to the development of facilities

Not sturdy:Four-storey boarding complex under construction adjacent to the railway station in Velankanni.— Photo:B.Velankanni Raj.
A multi-storey boarding complex being built outside the Velankanni railway station with the consent of Velankanni Church has raised concerns for Railway administration.

The four-storey complex, adjacent to the station’s entrance, has been proposed to function as an information centre cum boarding facility.

According to Railway authorities and pressure groups, the move lacks foresight and might prove detrimental to the widening of rail services in the future.

Huge burden

The pilgrim centre receives lakhs of pilgrims each year placing huge burden on railway infrastructure .

Though the station is at a nascent stage with limited rail services, it is already facing congestion and traffic snarls during peak hours. According to railway officials, the infrastructure would have to meet the demands for additional services, and this would require future land acquisitions. However, such unapproved constructions would trigger similar structures lining the railway station complex.

Assault on aesthetics

The structure is also seen as an assault on the aesthetics of the station complex itself. Great care was taken to conceive cathedral-type architecture for the station building.

The four-storey commercial lodging complex, which was currently at the stage of pillar erection, was bound to eclipse the architecture of the station, rendering it invisible.

The Church administration had contributed land for railway station and had also contributed Rs.2 crore for its construction.

There have been concerns over commercial interests crowding out space needed for developing infrastructure for the pilgrims, says an official.

According to official sources, the objection was placed on record after the Church administration had sought permission from the Southern Railways for the construction.

However, the construction activity has only gained momentum much to the disconcertion of authorities and railway lobbies.

This would virtually snap off possibilities for separate entry and exit points in the future as the present entrance was not enough to meet burgeoning traffic.

For now, the railway authorities have placed their trust on the Church to use its good offices to halt the construction. Such real estate constructions adjacent to the railway property were preventable under Railway Act and provisions of law.

When contacted, Rector of Velankanni Basilica Father Micheal stated that the letter was received from the Railway authorities. “I have forwarded it to our Bishop, and a decision would be taken by him,” Father Micheal told T he Hindu .


The four-storey commercial lodging complex is bound to eclipse the architecture of the station

Authorities have placed their trust on Church to use its good offices to halt the construction