Passengers commuting through the Coimbatore Railway Junction on Saturday witnessed some unusual scenes.
Flash dances by groups of college students but with a difference. Instead of the usual filmi dances, the students were conveying a message: cleanliness and safety.
Major stationsThe performances, by volunteers of Aram Foundation, were part of a cleanliness drive taken up by the Salem Division. Being launched at the Coimbatore Railway junction, it would soon be extended to other major stations of the division such as Tirupur, Salem and Erode.
Cultural programmesThe main objective of the cultural programmes, Salem Divisional Railway Manager Subhranshu told reporters here, was to get the messages of cleanliness and safety across to the public.
Messages include avoiding littering, plastic, and safety in platforms would be highlighted in the programmes. Around 70 saplings, nurtured by differently abled students, were also planted around the Coimbatore Railway Junction.
Additional expenditureThe Station Masters have now been empowered to make additional expenditure on maintaining cleanliness, he said, adding that this move had had a visible impact.
Further, he said that the management of a mosque located near the junction had agreed to provide land for erecting pillars for a skywalk to provide a quick exit to passengers from Platforms 1 and 1A.
Regarding the third entrance for the Coimbatore Railway Junction, he said that district administration had responded positively and had accorded preliminary approval to use its land for the purpose.
Prepaid taxisOn prepaid taxis, he said that Southern Railways could provide the land for the purpose but it could be given only to an independent regulator such as City Police, which had expressed reluctance as of now.
S. Latha, Managing Trustee of Aram Foundation, K.P. Damodaran, Senior Divisional Commercial Manager, Ajay Jaiswal, Divisional Mechanical Engineer, and other railway officials accompanied the Divisional Railway Manager.
