Wounds of 1964 storm resurface as govt plans to restore rail link

DHANUSHKODI: The battered Dhanushkodi Railway Station evokes mixed emotions in 73-year-old Puroshattam - of loss, hope and insecurity.

It reminds him of all that he lost when a powerful cyclone on December 23, 1964 rampaged through this coastal hamlet causing death and devastation, and how he had to wade through a "sea of bodies" to reach the safety of the station building some of whose pillars withstood the angry winds.

The cyclone washed away the Rameswaram-Dhanushkodi rail track along with a train and other infrastructure, leaving over 100 people dead and also bringing to halt the train service that provided a vital link via sea between Mandapam in India and Colombo in Sri Lanka just 18 km away.

Since then, the area evolved to become home to Puroshattam and around 300 other families - albeit with no power and other public amenities.

Fifty-eight years on, the Ministry of Railways has drafted a proposal for the reconstruction of the Dhanushkodi Railway Station and restoring the infrastructure that was destroyed.

Puroshattam and other families living in the area will have to be relocated for restoring the station, railway track and other infrastructure.

According to the draft plan, the area they currently live in will form the yard of the new Dhanushkodi Railway Station on the tip of Pamban Island, separated from the mainland by the Palk Strait, officials said.

But Purushottam, who was just 15 when the cyclone killed everybody he called family and is now a temple priest, says they are not troubled by the proposed plan, doubting the government's ability to translate the draft into actual work on the ground. "I will survive this too."

"I walked through a sea of bodies. Then, this huge structure, even when it was badly damaged, gave us shelter. Those were terrible days," he said.

"I have seen officials come here and mark areas around here. But my house and my temple are not within the area. I think that Dhanushkodi is a town that should be connected with the rest of the country as it is culturally vibrant. It has religious significance too. I have survived the storm, lived without electricity, I will survive this too," he said, making it clear that he thinks it remains a distant possibility.

Kali Amma, who was just four when the cyclone ravaged the area, could not recall the day properly, but remembers her family of Sri Lankan refugees talk of the devstation it caused.

"They have not been able to bring electricity and other basic amenities in the area in decades. How will they bring a railway line?"

Karipaswami remembers how he lost almost all his relatives that day. He says he was saved just by the happenstance of being in Rameswaram.

"It will be good for Dhanushkodi if the railway line materialises. But I have been here from before the storm and there has been no development in the area," he said.

According to the Railways proposal awaiting approval, an 18-kilometer line will be built between Rameshwaram and Dhansuhkodi -- 5 km at ground level and the rest elevated track.

The single-line will be electrified and connected to the broad gauge. The survey report prepared by Southern Railways envisages a 900-meter long and 80-meter wide railway station with an estimated cost of Rs 733 crore.

The land needed for the rail line has to be acquired -- while a significant stretch of 28.6 hectare is forest land, 43.81 hectare belongs to the state government while 3.66 is privately held.

Madurai Division's Assistant Executive Engineer Anand said that once all the clearances are received and the land is acquired, the station will be ready in two years time.

"The people currently residing in the ares are encroachers and they will have to vacate the land," he said.

He also said according to estimates 20,000 tourists are expected to visit Rameshwaram by 2041, and Dhanushkodi would see a substantial rise in footfall once the rail connection is completed.

"The 18-km line from Rameswaram will have three halt stations and one terminal station. We are hopeful that the number of tourists will increase here as well. We are doing the redevelopment of Rameswaram station," Anand said.

Currently the town is home to 300 families who live in thatched and makeshift houses. It also has shops of around 80 fishermen. All these would have to be relocated and whatever is left of the old railway station removed for the new structure.

A government school of 70 students would also have to be removed.

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