The Thoothukudi railway station should be shifted to Milavittan, which is just a few kilometres away, according to J. Jayasingh Thiyagaraj Natterjee, Thoothukudi MP.
In a statement, he said that besides Thoothukudi being a key port, it had emerged as an industrial hub of South Tamil Nadu and hence needed more development. The railways had been earning sizeable revenue through the seaport. Despite these favourable factors, rail services were inadequate to meet the growing needs of people in the Thoothukudi region.
The railway station in Thoothukudi had many shortcomings. The platforms were not wide enough for free movement of passengers. “If it is shifted to Milavittan, there is scope for expansion with better infrastructure. More importantly, shifting the railway station from the town would pave way for unhindered flow of vehicular traffic in Thoothukudi, which has four level crossings and narrow roads,” he said.
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Speaking to
K. Nehruprakash, vice-president, Thoothukudi District Tiny and Small Scale Industries Association, said that their forum mooted the idea in 1994 itself. Since Thoothukudi had been included in the list of ‘Smart Cities’ by the Ministry of Urban Development, more industrial investments along the Madurai –Thoothukudi industrial corridor and Port’s Outer Harbour development project were envisaged.
If a railway terminus was established at Milavittan, many long distance trains could be introduced from Thoothukudi, he said.
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R. Edwin Samuel, former Chairman, Confederation of Indian Industry, Thoothukudi, said residents of the town had been facing so many hardships owing to traffic congestion and long waiting period at the closed railway level crossings. In the event of Thoothukudi station being shifted to Milavittan, the rail track space running through the centre of the town could be utilised for laying a road. It would provide an alternative to congested WGC and VE roads, he said.