The New Indian Express: Tripunithura:
Tuesday, April 08, 2014.
At a time
when railway authorities have decided to revoke the halt granted for Parasuram
and Island Express trains at Tripunithura Railway Station citing low revenue
generated from the station, reply to a Right to Information(RTI) query on
revenue generated by ticket collection at the same station prove that the claim
is wrong. The RTI was filed by residents of the area. According to the RTI
reply, the average revenue from ticket collection has increased after the authorities allotted
halt for the express trains at the station last year. It also proves that the
station collects more revenue comparing to the nearby railway stations where
more express trains have got a stop. “The average ticket revenue in a month
after the Parasuram and Island Express were allowed halt at the station, is
around `51.4 lakh. Only 14 express trains have stop at the station. However,
the ticket revenue at Cherthala, where 28 express trains have got halt, the
average revenue is is `40.9 per month. Also, the income of Mavelikkara and
Karunagappally railway stations where authorities have allotted stop for more
than 30 express trains are `48.7 lakh and 50.3 lakh respectively,” the RTI
states. Tripunithura Rajanagari Union of Residents Association (TRURA) Chairman
V P Prasad said condemned that fact that though the revenue collection from the
station is higher than other larger stations nearby, the authorities want to
cancel the halt of the newly allotted express trains.
“Earlier, authorities had decided to allot
halt for the express trains at the station from November 9, 2013 to March 8,
2014. They put forward a condition that permanent halt will be allotted for the
trains at the station if the ticket revenue increases. Though the ticket
revenue at the station is increasing day by day and it is higher than other
nearby stations, the authorities are not ready to keep their word. People here
will not tolerate the injustice,” he said.
Meanwhile, TRURA secretary V C Jayendran said that though the status of
the railway station has been upgraded to ‘Adarsh’ station, the railway station
is still in a dilapidated condition. “There is no good roofing over the
platforms, no public toilets and no proper seating arrangements. The approach
road to the station is unusable and it is in a dilapidated condition. Moreover,
the station has only two staff for ticket distribution,” he added. Tripunithura
Municipal authorities said that they will appeal the railway authorities to
take necessary steps to develop the railway station considering the extension
of metro rail to Tripunithura. Meanwhile, sources with the railway authorities
said that the tarring of the approach road of the railway station will commence
immediately. “Tender procedures in this regard have been completed,” they said.
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