Vaiko urges Southern Railway to halt all trains at Manapparai

TRICHY: MDMK general secretary Vaiko on Saturday urged Southern Railway to halt all express and passenger trains at the Manapparai railway station in Trichy district.

The Rajya Sabha member said only a few express trains halt at Manapparai station. According to him, the station generates around Rs 15 lakh per month as revenue from ticket sales.

Vaiko said Pandiyan Express operated between Madurai and Chennai halts at Manapparai. But the same train, when operated in the opposite direction, does not stop at the station.

He urged the railways to halt all the trains, including Rameswaram-Tirupati Express and Tambaram-Tirunelveli Antyodaya Express, at Manapparai as the town is a hub for readymade garments production units and has a modern production plant of Tamil Nadu Newsprint and Papers Limited (TNPL). He said Manapparai murukku, an exclusive snack made at the town, had become popular after being sold at the platforms of the railway station.

“On January 30, on behalf of MDMK Trichy south district unit, the secretary Manavai Tamilmanickam will conduct a protest on the railway tracks at Manapparai railway station. The railway ministry must pay heed to the demands of the students and industrial workers,” Vaiko said in a statement.