Expectations
on B.G Conversion in the pending stretch of Pollachi – Kollengode – Palakkad (
58 k.m) as well as the Kollengode – Thrissur (54 k.m), a Green Rail Corridor
for Value Addition of Tourism in Nenmara and Nelliyampathy Hill station.
( Madan Menon Thottasseri )
Happy to know now that
the gauge conversion in the Palani – Pollachi stretch (67 k.m) is completed and
just underwent the CRS Inspection including Speed Trial Run entailing the
introduction of trains in the section. CRS (Commissioner
of Railway Safety, Southern Circle, Bangalore) Satish Kumar Mittal conducted a
speed trial run in the newly converted Palani-Pollachi broad gauge section here
on Tuesday, 25th November, 2014.
The Commissioner did
travel on a loco train from Palani to Udumalpet for checking the track and
lateron continued his inspection on a trolley towards Pollachi for on-the-spot
inspection. After inspecting signals, level crossings and stations between
Udumalpet and Pollachi, the Commissioner conducted a non-stop speed trial from
Pollachi to Palani, covering a distance of 80 km in less than an hour. In the
return direction, the inspection special train left Pollachi at 3.32 p.m. and
reached Palani at 4.21 p.m!
(Speed trial run being conducted on the newly laid Palani-Pollachi broad gauge track in Palani on 25.11.2014)
The inspection special
train did run at a maximum speed of 120 km to test the strength of the track.
The speed trial became the last phase of inspection before introduction of trains.
Of course only y, goods and local passenger trains would be permitted to run
for few months prior to the operation of express trains in this section. On the
basis information collected through various parameters during inspection and
technical report, the Commissioner would certify the track. Later, operation of
trains would commence, positively by the end next month, they added.
Madurai Divisional
Railway Manager A.K. Rastogi, Construction Organisation Chief Administrative
Officer R. Venkadasamy, Chief Engineer (Construction) Prafulla Verma, Chief
Signal and Telecom Engineer Ajith Kumar, Deputy Chief Engineers Sarangapani and
Ramakrishnan, Senior Divisional Safety Officer A. Ravichandran and others officials
had accompanied CRS- Satish Kumar Mittal.
The conversion work in
the pending stretch of Pollachi – Kollengode – Palakkad ( 58 k.m) is very
significant as it will be the last phase of the Palakkad – Dindigul B.G
conversion project. The ongoing conversion works in the stretch is to be
expedited so that Southern Railway can make it feasible to operate express
trains between Alappuza, Ernakulam, Guruvayur, Mangalore, Kannur, Palakkad and
temple towns like Palani,Madurai,Rameswaram, Thiruchchi (Trichy) , Nagore, and
Velankkanni in Tamil Nadu.As per the scheduled programme, the gauge conversion
work in Palani – Pollachi- Palakkad section has to be finished on or before
31st March, 2013. The project had overrun time and cost!
At this juncture let me
mention about a a direct rail corridor from Pollachi to Thrissur by-passing the
busy Palakkad as well. This direct rail link, as a chord line between Pollachi
will be availed if the pending Kollengode – Thrissur railway line becomes a
reality. This short route will be useful for the faster movement of Containers
between Tuticorin and Cochin Ports. Due to its proximity to the Western
Ghats, Pollachi has cool climate in all seasons. South India’s biggest cattle
market and Asia’s largest jaggery and vegetable markets are popular in Pollachi.
In fact the central Kerala depends on Pollachi for Vegetable, kitchen
provisions etc. The rail link between Thrissur and Pollachi will have blooming
prospects for optimum utilisation of rolling stock and augmentation of traffic
earnings. The decades’ pending project of Kollengode - Thrissur railway is not
implemented for incomprehensible reasons!
The distance from
Tiruchchi to Thrissur, Guruvayur or Ernakulam/Cochin ( via. Dindigul – Palani –
Pollachi – Kollengode - Nenmara- Vadakkumcherry- Mannuthy - Thrissur/304 k.m)
will be less by 69 k.m when compared with the present round-about Tiruchchi-
Karur - Erode – Podanur- Palakkad – Ottapalam – Wadakkancherry – Thrissur (373
k.m) route.
In future, the Thrissur-
Nenmara – Kollengode - Pollachi- Podanur B.G.sections (129 k.m), will serve as
an alternative route to the busy Thrissur- Palakkad Jn. – Podanur Jn. (125 k.m)
double-lined trunk section. Thus Southern Railways can treat this route through
the valley of Nelliyampathy hills, lengthier by just 4 k.m as a ‘third line’
between Podanur and Thrissur, while it enables to skip the traffic saturated
Palakkad Junction. Also, once the Guruvayur
– Thirunavaya or Tanur railway line becomes reality,
the Pollachi- Kollengode – Thrissur- Guruvayur – Tanur/Thrunavaya stretch will enable
operation of trains between cities and pilgrim centers of central Tamil nadu and
west-coast cities like Kozhikode, Kannur and places beyond like Mangalore, Goa, Mumbai
etc. through Konkan line, bypassing the busy Palakkad - Shoranur stretch.
The Pollachi – Thrissur
chord line ( instead of the round-about link through Palakkad) will be
advantageous for the tourism development of Nelliyampathy (Kerala), Valparai (
T.N), Top Slip ( T.N) Hill stations.
Being a short
distance of approx. 54 k.m, the Ministry of Railways can still incorporate the
proposed Kollengode -Thrissur B.G line in the Railway Budget 2014-15 and
simultaneously release adequate funds for the early implementation of the new
line. The proposal to link Kollengode in the Pollachi- Palakkad section under
B.G conversion, with Thrissur, the city of pooram festivals via. Nenmmara,
Ayalur Road, Chittillamcherry, Mudappallur( For Mangalam Dam), Vadakkumcherry ,
Kuthiran, Pattikkad ( for Peechi Reservoir) and Mannuthy was neglected and kept
in the cold storage for the past five decades.
It is very noteworthy that the proposed
Kollengode – Thrissur line passes through Nenmara, the gate-way of
Nelliyampathy Hill- Station the upcoming tourist destination and an ideal
out-door shooting location for movie makers.
 |
The present Nenmara town is constituted by the erstwhile twin villages which are better known from the name of popular ‘vela’ festival- the Nenmara- Vallenghy Vela , held in the first week of April every year. This festival attracts people of Cochin- Malabar regions and Coimbatore - Pollachi – Tiruppur- Palani regions of neighboring Tamil Nadu. Even tourists from bigger cities like Chennai,Bangalore, Mumbai etc. including foreign tourists visiting Kerala during the months of March- April are enticed by travel industry to witness the spectacular festival which is rated at par with Thrissur Pooram. The said rail link between Kollengode and Thrissur will give a face-lift to the paddy-cultivation and trading centers covered under Chulliyar, Pothundy, Mangalam and Peechi irrigation projects. Cruise rides in Peechi and Pothundy reservoirs are popular. It will be an enchanting journey by a train that chugs through the beautiful countryside surrounded by thick lush of paddy fields, coconut – areca nut farms, rubber plantations and picturesque hills!
The
Nelliyampathy hills with amazing varieties of flora and fauna, around 65 km from
Palakkad and 45 k.m from Nenmara is situated at a height of 467 meters to 1572
meters at the highest peak. The Hill station is comprised of a chain of ridges
separated by valleys of dense, evergreen virgin forests and orange plantations.
There are more than a dozen hair-pin bends on the ghat road from Pothundy Dam
passing through the jungles of Sahyadri ranges. Nelliyampathi’s forest regions
are sanctified with wild animals like elephants, leopards, hill squirrels,
bisons and a wide spectrum of bird life.
Nelliyampathy
is also the perfect location for eco tourism and farm tourism. The sprawling
tea gardens, coffee, cardamom and orange plantation add beauty to this
destination at all seasons. Studies had revealed that a rich civilization
existed in Nelliyampathy during Tamil Sangam era. Certain view-points en-route
to the hill station offer a splendid
sight of the Palakkad Gap, which is a geographical phenomenon in the Western
Ghats formation, showing the extensive
paddy fields of the Palakkad district and adjoining Coimbatore-Pollachi regions
forming a verdant carpet.
Seethakundu
waterfall with a height of 100 meters is an added attraction from where
tourists can have a nice valley sight. Padagiri, the highest peak situated on
Nellikotta mountain ranges is the trekkers’ paradise. Trekking is possible to
reach Mampara as well for beautiful valley sight. Even Pollacchi and Valparai
can be seen from there. Nenmara town and Pothundy reservoir can be seen from
yet another view point – Kesavanpara. There are private operators offering
Night-Safari to see wild animals, especially elephants; but must be beware of
one fuming elephant roaming around to charge anything on its sight!
A Green
Rail Corridor for Value Addition of Tourism in Nelliyampathy:
( A valley view from Nelliyampathy)
Kerala, boasting with the tag of “God’s Own Country” could register a success story while offering resorts by the side of back-waters with facilities for cruise boating, sail and stay in house-boats, in-house Ayurveda health-centers in resorts etc. which are very much acclaimed by tourists from all continents. While it prudently gives thrust for Ayurveda and Back-water oriented tourism to woo maximum number of class tourists to the state, it is desirable to consider launch of a special campaigns- ‘Tea Garden Tourism” for locations like Munnar and Nelliyampathy. Campaign for “Festival Tourism” may be feasible for attracting tourists to exclusive colorful festivals wherein there will be elephants’ parade, traditional drum recitals and display of fire-works at Thrissur Pooram, Nenmmara-Vallanghy Vela etc.
Tourism
campaign for Nenmmara- Vallanghy Vela festival can be clubbed with that of
Nelliyampathy, the hill-station with tea gardens, orange farms and cardamom
estates. Nenmmara is connected by road with Palakkad, the district headquarters
through two or three routes with distances around 20 k.m. The town in the
valley of the hill station is actually lying in the middle of Pollachi-
Vadakkumcherry- Nenmmara -Thrissur Inter- State route merged with NH-47 at
Vadakkumcherry. The distances by road from Nenmara to Pollachi towards east and
to Thrissur towards west are 49 k.m each.
Pothundy Dam,
just 6 k.m away from Nenmmara, which is constructed at the start off ‘Ayalur(
Ayiloor) River’, a sub-tributary of Bharathapuzha is an ideal recreation
location with gardens. Boat rides are offered in the vast reservoir to attract
tourists. This dam is having a unique status as ‘second largest in Asia without
using cement-mixture’. The Kerala government may have to plan for construction
of adequate tourist resorts and budget motels at Nelliyampathy, Pothundy,
Nenmara and Kollengode. There will be a good potential to install cable car
service between the gardens in the Pothundy Dam to Nelliyampathy Hill station
to boost tourism. The Kerala Tourism can avail the technology transfer from one
of the best global companies for the same.
Though the
Kollengode Railway station is the nearest rail-head for Nenmmara and
Nelliyampathy, due to the proximity, it had not served the purpose much by the
rail connectivity through Kollengode,
the Palakkad – Kollengode – Pollachi M.G Line, part of the M.G. network in
Palakkad – Kollengode - Pollachi – Palani – Dindigul and Polachi –
Podanur sections in the region. This branch line under B.G conversion has
potential for linking with trunk routes at three junctions, viz. Palakkad,
Podanur and Dindigul. The pending project, Kollengode – Thrissur Rail link enabling
linkage between major trunk routes of Southern Railway at Dindigul and
Thrissur, will enhance the potential for traffic earnings and optimum
utilisation of rolling-stocks.
Ultimately the Kollengode- Thrissur line will add value to the tourism
potential of Nelliyampathy Hill station. If implemented, Nelliyampathy will be
easily accessible to foreign tourists landing at Cochin, Calicut or Coimbatore
airports as they can reach the entryway of the hill station - Nenmara town by a
train.
Tourists
camping at Nelliyampathy can be brought down to the valley to see the
spectacular show of elephants’ parade and colourful fire works displayed in the
Nenmmara-Vallenghy Vela festival. Together with Nenmmara and Vallengy, many
villages like Ayalur (Ayiloor), Chittillamcherry, Cheramangalam, Mudapallur,
Vadakkumcherry, Pallavoor constitute an enclave of Vela- Kanyarkali festivals
in the months of April-May every year. Kanyarkali festivals are performed in
temple premises from desk to dawn and it provides all ingredients of
folk-dance-dramas that can attract intellectuals to laymen amongst tourists.
It is not an
exaggeration to say that during the festival season, in this enclave of
festivals in Palakkad district, not even a single day passes without celebrations
involving processions by adorned elephants accompanied by drum recitals like
Chendamelams, Panchavadyams etc. and colourful fire-works at least in a couple
of temples.
```````````````````````````````````````````
