Pollachi MLA, railway officials inspect level crossing at Vadugapalayam

Coimbatore: Officials with the Palakkad division of Southern Railway, along with Pollachi MLA Jayaraman, inspected the railway level crossing at Vadugapalayam near Pollachi on Saturday to assess the feasibility of constructing a road over-bridge.
The level crossing, between Pollachi and Kinathukadavu, was in use for more than 60 years, serving as a vital link for the residents of 12 nearby villages to access the main road. In July 2024, the crossing was closed by railway authorities without any prior notice.
The sudden closure triggered protests from the residents of surrounding villages. Revenue and police officials intervened, assuring the protestors that the gate would not be permanently closed, until a feasible solution was identified.
On December 7, 2024, MLA Jayaraman wrote to Union railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, requesting construction of either an over-bridge or an underpass at the site. He emphasised on the need to keep the gate open for public use until a permanent solution was implemented and expressed his willingness to allocate funds for the bridge construction.
In response, R N Singh, general manager, Southern Railway, replied on February 20, 2025, stating that the level crossing could not be closed due to public protests. He, however, confirmed that constructing a road over-bridge was feasible, if requested by the state govt.
Following this, Palakkad railway division officials, including divisional engineer Anshul Bharti, accompanied by MLA Jayaraman and Pollachi municipality former chairman Krishnakumar, conducted a detailed inspection to evaluate the technical feasibility of constructing the road over-bridge.