Around 2 p.m., residents, including students and farmers of Kainoor village near Arakkonam town, blocked the Sholinghur-Arakkonam Main Road on Saturday and demanded railway and revenue officials resume the subway project work by the Southern Railway.
Residents said that the subway project was a long-standing demand of at least 27 villages that come under Arakkonam Taluk in Ranipet. Prior to the work, residents had to cross the railway level crossing on foot or by pushing their two-wheelers, risking their lives.
“After several protests, we got the subway project to our village. However, after the initial start, the work was stopped, causing residents to de-tour at least 10 km to reach Arakkonam town,” said P. Uma Maheshwari, president, Kainoor village panchayat.
Railway officials said that preliminary work for the subway started in January 2023 on both sides of the railway track. Earmarking acquired land, both government and private, was also done. However, a few private landowners near the track objected to the work as they claimed that a portion of the acquired land belonged to them. As a result, the work was temporarily stopped.
Subsequently, a few landowners who objected to the work filed a case before the Madras High Court, where the case was dismissed a few months ago. Since then, the work has not been resumed due to procedural delays.
Despite no legal hurdles for the work, residents said that the subway work has not been resumed by the Southern Railway. Residents have been petitioning the railways and the district administration to restart the work as they have to take a detour several kilometres to reach key towns like Arakkonam, Sholinghur, and Tiruttani. During emergencies, ambulances get delayed in reaching to these villages. The nearest government hospital is in Arakkonam.
On Saturday, the road block caused by residents hit the traffic on the Sholinghur-Arakkonam Main Road for a few hours. Due to the weekend holiday, many motorists were heading to their hometown from Chennai on the route.
Based on the alert, a team of revenue and railway officials led by K. Shanmugasundaram, tahsildar (Arakkonam), and Arakkonam Taluk police rushed to the spot and pacified the agitated residents. Officials said that subway work will be resumed immediately, without any further delay. After assurance from officials and the police, residents dispersed.
A team of police personnel has been deployed in the village to prevent any untoward incidents. Traffic police were also roped in to regulate traffic on the busy route, officials said.
