Prabhu fails to impress poll-bound state

A 36-km line connecting Morappur to Dharmapuri and a survey on the Dindigul-Sabarimalai route were the only announcements for the state. The long-demanded Chennai-Sriperumbudur, Madurai-Kanyakumari doubling and Royapuram terminal were given a miss. The only silver lining was the dedicated Chennai-Delhi freight corridor and a new rail auto hub in Chennai. 

Former zonal rail user’s consultative committee (ZRUCC) member S Mohanram criticised the government for reducing the unreserved ticket booking time limit from two days to three hours now. Well over 2,000 people would queue up to buy unreserved tickets simultaneously. I fail to understand the rationale behind this time reduction,” Mohanram reasoned. 

“We expected a new Chennai-Thoothukudi industrial corridor and more trains to bolster growth and ease mobility of people in southern Tamil Nadu. All our expectations have come to nought,” S Balasubramanian, a former member of DRUCC from Thoothukudi said. 

Fixing CCTV cameras at Tatkal windows (reservation counters) was another idea even railway staff found amusing. “The nexus between booking clerks and touts is no secret. Smartphones and WhatsApp messages are the latest additions to their scams. Expecting CCTVs to discourage touts is the worst possible Prabhu could have imagined,” said a senior railway officer.