Salem Division: DMK to block trains at Salem on Aug 25

Tiruchirapalli, Aug 22 (UNI) Senior DMK leader and Agriculture Minister Veerapandi S Arumugam today announced that the Salem district unit of the party would resort to 'rail roko' agitation at Salem Railway station on August 25.

Mr Arumugham, who is also Salem District Secretary of the DMK, addressing a press conference here said the agitation was to draw the Centre's attention on the present controversy over the formal inauguration of the new Railway division of Southern Railway at Salem.

He wanted the Union Government to hold the inauguration of Salem Division on September 14 as per schedule.

Stating that party workers and leaders would obstruct movement of trains to and from Kerala on that day as a protest over the 'unwarranted' controversy on a finalised issue, Mr Arumugham claimed that the existing Palakkad division would not be affected due to the opening of a new division at Salem.

He said arrangements was going on in full swing for the formal inauguration of the division at Salem on September 14, in which Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, Railway Minister Lalu Prasad and others were expected to participate. However, due to objection raised by the Lok Sabha members from Kerala, the Railway Minister announced in Parliament on August 20, that no final decision had been taken on the inauguration of the Salem division.

As per Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's suggestion, the Railway Minister would conduct a meeting with the Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu and Kerala to sort out the impasse over the formation of the new Railway division at Salem, Mr Arumugham pointed out.

UNI