Over 200 protestors belonging to various political parties were removed by police when they tried to enter the Coimbatore Railway Junction for a rail roko agitation on Wednesday evening over many important trains not passing through the junction.
The rail roko was announced after a recent all-party meeting decided that this course of action was needed to draw the attention of the authorities concerned to the inconvenience caused to the people of Coimbatore by the diversion of the trains.
The parties demanded that the Southern Railway divert all the trains running on the Irugur-Podanur Junction pass through Coimbatore when the new railway time table comes into force on July 1. They alleged that diversion of trains continued even after the laying of the second line between Coimbatore and Irugur.
Trains that skip Coimbatore junction include Yeshwantpur - Kannur Express (daily), Ernakulam - Bangalore Express (bi-weekly), Tirunelveli - Bilaspur Express (weekly), Thiruvananthapuram - Mumbai CST Express (weekly), Puducherry - Mangalore Express (weekly), Chennai - Thiruvananthapuram Mail (daily), Chennai - Thiruvananthapuram Express (weekly), Mangalore - Chennai Express (6 days a week), Mangalore - Tiruchirapalli Express (weekly), Thiruvananthapuram - Chennai Express (weekly), Kochuveli - Hubli Express (weekly), Alleppy - Chennai Express (weekly) and Chennai-Mangalore Mail (daily).
The protesters, led by K. Ramakrishnan, General Secretary, Periyar Dravida Kazhakam, tried to get past a strong posse of policemen to stage the rail roko. Members belonging to Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, Pattali Makkal Katchi, Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and various traders’ associations were also part of the protest team.
But, they were prevented from entering the railway junction by the police and removed from the spot. They were released later in the evening.
