Title - “Consider plea for chair car on Cholan Express”

The Madras High Court has directed Southern Railway to consider a representation and see whether it is feasible to provide chair car bogies on the Cholan Express between Chennai Egmore and Tiruchirappalli.The First Bench of Justices M.Y. Eqbal and T.S. Sivagnanam was disposing of a writ petition by K. Rajenthran, advocate and president of the Social Action Team, Mayiladuthurai.The petitioner stated that reservation rules prohibited the use of berth during day time and the Railways should have provided chair car bogies on Cholan Express.It had attached ‘berth’ bogies on the day train and was collecting Rs. 77 as reservation charges from each passenger, as against Rs. 15 on the Vaigai and Pallavan expresses.The petitioner said he had sent a representation to the Railway Board Chairman in February last year. No action was taken.The Bench said no counter affidavit was filed by the Railways despite time being granted. Instead of the keeping the petition pending, it was disposing it of with the direction to the Railways.