Revive Veerapandi Railway Station, residents urge govt.

Backed by Tamizhaga Vivasayigal Sangam, residents of Bilichi Panchayat have voiced their demand for revival of the defunct Veerapandi Railway Station (Code: VRPT).

Since the closure of the halt station decades back, rail passengers from Veerapandi and surroundings find themselves forced to depend only on bus services at much higher travel fare.

Else, they have to travel to Thudiyalur and Periyaickenpalayam railway stations, which again entails additional expenditure.

The farmers in Veerapandi surroundings have been emphasising the need for revival of the railway station for transporting their produce at affordable costs.

According G. Ranganathan, State organising secretary of Tamizhaga Vivasayigal Sangam, platform still exists and the local residents have been emphasising on its revival for long.

During 2018, the then Union Minister of State for Railways Rajen Gohain had promised stoppages of MEMU trains at Veerapandi and Pudupalayam stations, and also gave assurance to make allocations for platform extension work.

The Railways, at that time, had estimated expenditure of ₹20 lakh each to develop the two stations.

It was decided that ₹15 lakh out of MP Local Area Development fund could be utilised and the rest would be allotted by the Railways, for each station.

The travelling public, according to local sources, have made a representation to the district administration to request the Union Ministry of Rural Development to explore scope for funding the project as part of accelerating socio-economic development of villages.

A step in this direction was necessary at the current juncture against the backdrop of the plan of the Railways to introduce six new services from Mettupalayam Railway Station, and the contemplation by the Railway Ministry to carry out doubling of the track between Mettupalayam and Coimbatore North Stations based on growth in utilisation of line capacity, which is currently 56.5%.

In another representation, the Tamizhaga Vivasayigal Sangam urged the State government, in a petition forwarded through the district administration, to operate Electric Multiple Unit trains in Coimbatore district, as an alternative to Metro Rail, in the interests of travelling public.