The Mayiladuthurai railway junction serves as an important support for long-distance transportation for all the people in the district. With the aim of upgrading the Mayiladuthurai railway junction into a modernized station with state-of-the-art facilities, it has been selected under the "Amrit Bharat" scheme, and Rs. 20 crore has been allocated for various renovation works such as escalators, an air-conditioned waiting room, toilets, improved platforms, and a bus stand, and the work is currently under way.
Although new toilets have been built as part of the renovation, the old toilets have not been removed and remain right at the bus entrance, obstructing buses as they arrive and depart and occasionally causing traffic congestion.
We asked the local residents and passengers about this. Those who spoke to us said, “They said that once the new bathroom was built, the old one would be demolished. But it has been six months since the new bathroom was built. The bathroom we are using now is causing an obstruction to the bus stand. Because of this, all the buses that come either stop in front of the bathroom or behind it. This bathroom is standing right in the middle like Nandi. Because it is like this, it is very difficult for buses to come and turn around. This bathroom has blocked the very entrance through which buses enter the bus stand. When important trains arrive, crowding occurs due to the large number of passengers and vehicles.”
This doesn’t have the same level of convenience as the newly built bathroom. It can only be used in an emergency, that’s all. Was the new bathroom built with all those facilities just to keep it locked up? Isn’t it for our use? Open the new building soon. And make it available for use free of charge, just like this bathroom. Then demolish the bathroom if it’s going to be an obstruction,” they said.
Speaking about this, Railway Passengers Association president Mahalingam said, "When the railway authorities said that the existing toilet building had to be demolished to set up a bus stop, many social activists requested that it should be demolished only after a new toilet building was constructed, and accordingly, a new toilet building was built.
However, even after six months since the work was completed, the new toilet building has not been opened, nor has the old building been removed. Because of the old building, everyone, including drivers and passengers, is facing great difficulty. Due to the lack of mutual coordination between the railway department and the municipality, the district administration should intervene and take appropriate action," he said.
When asked about this, Railway Public Relations Officer Vinoth said, “Removing the old toilets is entirely the responsibility of the municipal administration. We have also sent a request to the municipality to provide a sewerage (UGD) connection for the new toilet.”
When speaking further with Mayiladuthurai Municipal Commissioner Sasikala, she said, "We have sent a letter to the Municipal Director regarding the removal of the old toilets. For the new toilets, property tax and service tax have to be paid on behalf of the Railway Department for the underground sewage drainage (UGD) connection. However, I will take the necessary action for the UGD connection."