B.G trains in the offing at
Pollachi while Palani – Pollachi B.G line awaits CRS inspection! When will the B.G
conversion in the Pollachi – Kollengode - Palakkad M.G section be over enabling
B.G trains chug through the same? What is the fate of Kollengode –
Thrissur B.G railway line that was shelved for 50 years?
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The only sign of
progress in the gauge conversion in the Dindigul – Palani - Pollachi –
Kollengode - Palakkad section is the completion of M.G to B.G conversion in the
59 k.m stretch between Dindigul and Palani which was opened for traffic by
introduction of Passenger trains on 20th November,2012. This is just a small
part of the above said Dindigul – Palakkad Jn.(180 k.m) and Pollachi – Podanur
(40 k.m) M.G sections wherein rail traffic in these M.G stretches were closed
for gauge conversions since December,2008. There was no adequate allocation of
funds for the conversion project in the region. Just a 6 k.m long
Coimbatore-Podanur section (M.G. parallel to B.G line) alone was only converted
into B.G. until 2012 in this stretch.
Happy to know now that the
gauge conversion in the Palani – Pollachi stretch (67 k.m) is completed waiting
for the CRS Inspection so as to facilitate running of trains in the
section. Conversion work in the pending
stretch of Pollachi – Kollengode – Palakkad ( 58 k.m) is to be expedited so
that Southern Railway can make it feasible to operate express trains between
Alappuza (Alleppy);Ernakulam;Guruvayur;Mangalore;Kozikkode(Calicut);Palakkad
and temple towns like Palani,Madurai,Rameswaram, Thiruchchi (Trichy) , Nagore,
and Velankkanni in Tamil Nadu. The Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) will inspect the recently
completed broad gauge line on the Palani-Pollachi section on November on 24 and
25 as reported by the Times of India today ( 9th November,2014). CRS certification will entail the section to
run goods trains initially and passenger traffic will be made possible only
after few months.
Pollachi – Kollengode -
Palakkad Town – Palakkad Junction M.G section under B.G conversion is 58 k.m (35+23)
while it includes the 5 k.m long Mixed-Gauge ( M.G and B.G together) section
between Palakkad Town and Palakkad Junction. Currently some B.G trains are
originated/terminated at Palakkad Town.
I have taken note of two
recent instances that had caused further delay of the B.G conversion in the Pollachi
– Palakkad stretch. Inetially there was an issue in respect of earth filling
for railway lines under the conversion projects (also for for National
High-ways’ developmental works) when State Environment Impact Assessment
Authority
(SEIAA) had not given
instant permission for facilitating the same. I have rightly put forth opinions
in online editions of news-papers in end August, 2014 requesting the SEIAA to
convene a special sitting exclusively for clearing these applications that
entail instantaneous attention to avoid delay in execution of railway projects
like Palakkad – Pollachi gauge conversion work which is expected to be made
ready by December, 2014 for trial run in the B.G line. I presume that the state
government did seek cooperation of the SEIAA to facilitate the implementation
of the said gauge conversion in the the Kerala – Tamil Nadu inter-state rail
corridor which is one of the most important developmental projects in
peninsular plateau of southern India.
The second impediment
was in the last month (October,2014) when workers in Kerala were on strike and
have even demanded the so called ‘Nokkukooli’ (Gawking wages or wages for just
looking on!) since skilled laborers were deployed for technical jobs like
welding of tracks. Of course I have
commented against this cautioning that the abnormally delayed B.G conversion
project will overrun cost and time. It was rather hooliganism to prevent the
implementation of the project by obstinately insisting on employment of local
unskilled and unqualified/inexperienced labourers wherein certain the technical
jobs are to be necessarily done by skilled and experienced/qualified labourers.
I wanted Kerala government to
immediately interfere even through the judicial track (with a court
order etc.) and facilitate uninterrupted deployment of skilled labourers, let
them be from any region enabling the timely completion of the gauge conversion
project in the Palakkad - Pollachi section. Fortunately last week I could see
news report about the withdrawal of the strike and resumption of welding works.
I hope that people’s forums in the
region that are keenly advocating for the early completion of the project for resumption
of rail traffic must come forward and persecute such trade unions that thwart
developmental projects like railway gauge conversion, high-way construction
etc.
There is a long pending
proposal for a new line between Kollengode (lying in the Pollachi - Palakkad
M.G section under gauge conversion), the erstwhile tiny realm and Thrissur, the
city of pooram festivals, which is actually very much significant for the B.G
conversion project in the Palakkad- Pollachi- Dindigul route aimed to
facilitate shortest route to temple towns of south Tamil Nadu from Malabar and
Cochin regions of Kerala. A traffic survey for connecting Kollengode and
Thrissur (B.G) was done during 1964-65 by the distinguished Padmashree
P.N.Baskaran Nair (late) who simultaneously surveyed the Salem- Bangalore and
Hassan – Mangalore lines. In fact this was the second survey, as the initial
survey conducted during the pre-independence period in mid forties already went
unnoticed. The line was resurveyed in the year 2007. It is very significant
that the proposed Kollengode – Thrissur line passes through Nenmara, the gate-way
of Nelliyampathy Hill- Station which is one of the fast emergent tourist
destinations in the state of Kerala. It is noteworthy that 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 not only people of Kerala and
the neighboring Tamil Nadu. Tourists from bigger cities visiting Kerala during
the months of March- April are enticed by travel industry based in cities in
the region like Coimbatore, Kochi and Calicut 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 – arecanut farms, rubber plantations and
picturesque hills!
It is to be noted that a direct rail corridor from Pollachi to Thrissur ( 54 k.m Chord-line) by-passing the busy Palakkad will be emerged out if the pending Kollengode - Thrissur railway line becomes a reality which will be useful for the faster movement of Containers between Tuticorin and Cochin Ports. It is very distressing to note that the Kollengode - Thrissur railway project was ignored by the Railway Ministry for the past 50 years!
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 jiggery and vegitable market are
popular in Pollachi. In fact the central Kerala depends on Pollachi for
Vegitable, kitchen provisions etc. The rail link from Pollachi towards Thrissur,
Palakkad and Podanur/Coimbatore, all lying in trunk rail routes will have
blooming prospects for optimum utilisation of rolling stock and augmentation of
traffic earnings in the Palakkad and Madurai railway divisions.
The distance from
Tiruchchi to Thrissur, Guruvayur or Ernakulam/Kochi ( via. Manapparai - Dindigul
– oddanchatram – Palani - Udumalaipet - 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.
Further 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.
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 and many water reservoirs- Pothundy, Mangalam, Peechi,Vazhani, Malampuzha,
Chulliar, Meenkara, Aliar, Sholaiyar, Kadamparai, Nirayar and Parambikkulam. It
will not be extraneous if Tamil Nadu comes forward initiating for the
Kollengode – Thrissur railway line enabling a straight line (Chord Line) between
Pollachi and Thrissur even if Kerala is not very keen on advocating for the
same.
Ultimately the
Kollengode- Thrissur rail link will add value to the tourism potential of Hill
stations mentioned above. If implemented, Nelliyampathy will be easily
accessible to foreign tourists landing at Kochi, Kozikkode and Coimbatore
airports as they can reach the entryway of the hill station - Nenmara town by a
train. Valparai and Top Slip will be accessible through Pollachi via. Thrissur
– Pollachi, Palakkad – Pollachi, Coimbatore – Podanur - Pollachi routes.
No barriers of state
should affect the railway line that offers adequate scope to operating round
the clock pilgrim shuttle services between Palani and Guruvayur to cover a
distance of 176 K.m within four and half hours. Both Express and Fast Passenger
trains can be operated through Dindigul- Palani –Pollachi –Kollengode-Nenmara-
Thrissur line connecting rail-heads in trunk-routes of Tamil Nadu and Kerala (Maduarai/Dindigul/Thiruchchi
and Thrissur/Ernakulam) respectively.
I think that there no
much of enthusiastic demand for this railway line from the Thrissur region,
even though this line will entail Thrissur to become a busy railway junction.
Thus people’s forums and trade
associations in Thrissur may have to carry the mantle to demand this new
railway line.
I have been advocating
for the implementation of the Kollengode - Thrissur railway for the past two
decades. Readers can see my articles/blogs on the same. Hope that the said
railway which was shelved since the first post-independence survey in 1964 will
become a reality and change the face of the Pollachi - Kollengode - Nenmara -
Vadakkumcherry - Thrissur region. Kollengode - Thrissur line will be a
deviation from Kollengode, from the Pollachi- Kollengode - Palakkad M.G section,
that currently under gauge-conversion. It
actually creates a chord-line between Thrissur and Pollachi. Let us hope that
the Union Railway Budget 2015-16 will formally sanction this project with
adequate release of funds.
A valley view at Nelliyampathy
Let me put forth apprehensive
questions to the Ministry of Railways. Since the railway Line upon conversion
of M.G line from Dindigul in the offing at Pollachi, when will the line be
ready in the Pollachi - Kollengode - Palakkad section completing the Dindigul –
Palakkad gauge conversion project? Will the new B.G railway line that was
shelved for five decades from Kollengode to Thrissur becomes a reality and
enable a rail link through the valley of Nelliyampathy Hills?
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