Kochi: Railway wall to curb encroachments

Kochi: The railways has decided to construct compound walls for four of its properties in Ernakulam with much of its vacant plots in the region such as the old railway station behind High Court turning into safe havens for anti-social elements and encroachers.

“Besides the problem posed by encroachers, hotels and local residents dump waste in such plots. An in-principle sanction has been accorded by the Chennai headquarters to construct compound walls extending to a total length of four km,” said a senior railway officer.

Besides the old railway station premise, the other locations to be protected are near Ernakulam Junction station and the area before the KSRTC bus depot (between north and south stations).

“In ERG, the compound wall along the Mathai Manjooran road will be built to prevent trespassing while that at the other places is aimed at preventing dumping of waste,” the official said.

Meanwhile, a Railway Protection Force team conducted a special drive against trespassing at the old railway station the other day on a complaint from the railway officials.

“During the drive, we found many vehicles parked illegally inside the station premise. The owners were charged and released on bail. An awareness campaign was held for the residents. We’ve also put up a warning at the entrance. We’ll conduct such exercises on a regular basis,” said a police official.