Title - ‘TN lobby scuttling rail projects in Kerala’

There is a growing fear that development projects in Kerala pertaining to the railways, seaports, and even water resources are being scuttled by a Tamil Nadu lobby, Congress leader V.M. Sudheeran has said.“The experience is that in many instances railway development projects in Kerala fall victim to betrayal from the side of Tamil Nadu,” he said, while inaugurating a meeting here on Tuesday to commemorate the death of the INTUC leader Ben Morris.Mr. Sudheeran said it might not be deliberate, but the enthusiasm shown by the lobby for the railway development of Tamil Nadu was often at the cost of the railway needs of Kerala.The bifurcation of the Palakkad railway division was a perfect example, he said. The division was split in spite of the strong opposition from Kerala.

Salem division

But the Tamil Nadu lobby at that time was led by former Union Minister of State for Railways, R. Velu. The strange aspect of the bifurcation was that the new division (Salem) got more area than the parent division.

Now the proposed Nemom coaching terminal was also getting scuttled, Mr. Sudheeran said. There were even reports that the project would be withdrawn. All people concerned should take the development seriously because the Nemom coaching terminal was seen as a major component of the railway development programme of the State, he said.

Mr. Sudheeran said the creation of a new railway division based in Kozhikode was vital for the railway development of the State. Having more divisions would strengthen Kerala’s claim for a separate railway zone, he said. Mr. Sudheeran called for a change of railway policy so as to ensure more efficiency by increasing staff strength.

Another big problem that Kerala faced was the shortage of coaches good enough for comfortable travel. Coaches of the trains running within Kerala were taken to Tamil Nadu for periodic overhauling, but the ones sent back were seen to be worse than those sent.

The meeting was organised by the INTUC affiliated workers attached to the Kollam railway goods shed. The meeting was presided over by the INTUC national secretary K. Suresh Babu. N. Peethambara Kurup MP, P.K. Gurudasan MLA and Congress leaders, N. Azhakeshan, A.K. Hafeez and K. Karunakaran Pillai spoke.

The bifurcation of the Palakkad railway division is a perfect example, says V.M. Sudheeran.