Resumption of rail cargo service to Theni elates all stakeholders, including farmers
According to sources, Theni received its first inward rake on Saturday at the new goods shed, which was opened by the Southern Railway in September and aimed at boosting economic activities in the district, with loading and offloading facilities.
Rail cargo being offloaded at Theni goods shed
MADURAI: Rail cargo service in Theni resumed much to the joy of all stakeholders including farmers.
According to sources, Theni received its first inward rake on Saturday at the new goods shed, which was opened by the Southern Railway in September and aimed at boosting economic activities in the district, with loading and offloading facilities.
Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation (TNCSC) offloaded 21 wagons from Sultanabad, Telangana to the Theni goods shed. The commodity was procured through NCCF (National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation of India Limited).
The goods shed, permitted to handle commodities except petroleum, oil, lubricants, coal and coke, is functional from 6 am to 10 pm, throughout the week. Theni is the 19th goods shed in the Madurai Division, sources said.
According to SKS Nadesan, Member, of the Rail Users Consultative Committee, Southern Region and president, of Theni District Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the cargo rail transport is back in operation after many years.
The Bodi-Madurai rail service was suspended in 2010 for broad gauge conversion and resumed after a gap of twelve years.
Apart from transporting cotton bales from other states imported foodgrains through logistic support of Thoothukudi seaport were also being processed in large quantities in around forty units in Theni and delivered to Chennai and neighbouring Kerala by road transport.
“With the rail cargo service resuming, transportation costs would be halved much to the delight of stakeholders,” Nadesan told DT Next on Sunday.
N Selvakumar, the farmer from Erasakkanaickanur village, said Theni is considered as the ‘banana bowl’ with 15,000 acres of cultivation in the district and grown bananas were being dispatched to almost 60 districts in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Pondicherry. For him, rail transport along the railway would be much more cost-effective.
Recalling old memories, A Lazar, former Periyakulam MLA and CPM member of the Tamil Nadu State Committee, said rail cargo support was introduced in Theni during the British era with seaport connectivity.
Welcoming the resumption, Pon Katchikannan, president, of Periyar-Vaigai Paasana Sangam, said rail transportation of farm produce to various states would help farmers avoid middlemen and directly deal with buyers.
Further sources said the goods shed is linked with the Indian Railways’ FOIS (Freight Operations Information System) network through the control office of the Madurai division to facilitate the online generation of railway receipts while booking freights.