No light at this tunnels end

VELLORE: The country’s longest railway under-passageway for pedestrians, laid beneath 12 railway tracks at the Arakkonam Railway Junction, was abandoned within two months of its inauguration in 2009. The passageway is now used as an open bar by TASMAC customers during the evening and has become a haven for anti-social elements.The tunnel at Kurla station in Mumbai, which is 74-metres-long, was the longest railway under-passageway for pedestrians, until the opening of the tunnel at Arakkonam. Expressing frustration over the lethargic attitude of the Arakkonam Municipality, which failed to keep the passage clean, railway commuters and residents said the tunnel, which was inaugurated by the then Union Railway Minister for State R. Velu in February 2009, has become a bone of contention.The 87-metre-long tunnel, was constructed by Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) at a cost of `2.25 crore using ‘box-push’ technology, without hindering the rail traffic on the 12 tracks above.  In a bid to keep out miscreants, the tunnel was shut recently, since when it has remained closed. After repeated pleas from various associations to make the tunnel pedestrian-friendly, Municipal Chairman K. Manoharan took the initiative to revive it. But his sudden demise a few months ago put the work in limbo.“Construction of the passageway was a decade-old demand by the people of Arakkonam. It materialised after a lot of difficulties and challenges. To see the country’s longest railway under-passageway for pedestrians abandoned and misused, hurts one’s sensibilities,” said Former Union Minister Mr. Velu.