After declaration of district status for Mayiladuthurai by the State Government, the voice of the public demanding creation of rail link to Karaikal has grown louder.
Profitability in the route was a certainty owing to the presence of Karaikal port and a number of educational institutions along the Mayiladuthurai-Tranquebar-Karaikal section, R. Seyon, Chief Co-ordinator, Federation of Advocates for Mayiladuthurai District, said.
The Railway Board must consider in right earnest the directive issued by the Madras High Court earlier this year to act on the petition filed by former MLA Kuttalam Kalyanam, Mr. Seyon said in a representation.
Rail travellers have for long been emphasising the revival of Mayiladuthurai-Tranquebar rail link and extending the same to Karaikal for bringing about connectivity to important tourist destinations and according a thrust for the economic development in delta region.
The Railway Ministry, according to official records, had carried out a survey in 2005-06 to explore the feasibility of extending the line to Karaikal via Thirunallar for a total length of 47.3 km, heeding to suggestions that the section will provide a circular rail route covering the Cauvery delta linking Thanjavur, Kumbakonam, Mayiladuthurai, Tranquebar, Karaikal, Nagapattinam, and Tiruvarur.
The project is in the recommended list of the State government too as it would connect major pilgrimage centres alongside ushering in development in the region.
C. Sentilvel, president of Mayiladuthurai Chamber of Commerce, said profitability in the proposed line in the Mayiladuthurai-Thirukadaiyur-Tranquebar-Thirunallar-Karaikal section was a certainty. It would cater to the transport requirements of several thousands of students every day, he said, recalling the initiatives taken by the student community in recent years to drive home the importance of the project to the Railway Ministry by sending post cards individually.