The vacant land belonging to the Southern Railway adjacent to Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) Velachery Railway station is set to become a wholesome entertainment spot.
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The Southern Railway has retrieved the land worth several crores of rupees from encroachers and has allotted the space to a private entity as part of the move to increase the revenue.
A railway official said the vacant land measuring nearly 78,000 square feet located outside the Velachery station has been allotted for setting up a family entertainment centre to a private company under New, Innovative, Non-fare Revenue Idea Scheme. The space has been leased out for five years for a total licence fee of ₹3.31 crore, he said.
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The private firm has started work on setting up a huge food court in the family entertainment centre. Several amenities such as sports, recreation, a child play area, game zone, retail kiosks, party hall for organising private events and a departmental store will be set up, the officials said.
However, motorists and residents in the locality fear that the Station Service Road being narrow and congested with heavy traffic due to the presence of large showrooms, the new entertainment zone could add to the traffic chaos.
The residents want the traffic police to prevent unauthorised parking of vehicles on the Station Service Road and clear the numerous vendors and hawkers occupying the narrow road to ease traffic congestion.