Geevarghese Mar Coorilos, Metropolitan of the Niranom diocese of the Jacobite Syrian Church, has flayed Railways for ignoring the public health and environmental concerns arising out of the cement yard at the Thiruvalla railway station.
He was inaugurating a march and dharna staged by the Thiruvalla People’s Movement (TPM) in front of the railway station, protesting against the cement yard at the fourth platform that was was posing serious environmental problems, on Friday.
It was unfortunate that the Railway authorities had adopted an indifferent attitude towards the grievances of the common people over the pollution caused by the yard, he said.
Mar Coorilos alleged that the attitude of the Railway authorities at Thiruvalla appeared to be anti-people and undemocratic. It was a mystery why the Railways were not shifting the yard to a lesser populated area at Nalukody, about 3 km away from the railway station, where sufficient land was available, he said.
He called upon the Railways to heed to the genuine demands of the people for clean air and environment.
Presiding over the meeting, K.V. Varghese, Thiruvalla municipal chairman who is also the TPM patron, said the civic body had unanimously passed a resolution against the cement yard on the station premises.
The railway authorities had ignored the directions issued to them with regard to implementation of pollution control norms, Mr. Varghese alleged.
He said there was no question of permitting the cement yard at the Thiruvalla railway station.
Jacob Kurien, Abraham Mathew, Alexander K. Samuel, Philip N. Thomas, and Jacob Varghese, all TPM leaders, spoke.
A large number of people took part in the protest march taken out from SCS Junction to the railway station.
