KOCHI: The Kerala State RTI Federation has approached the anti-corruption wing of the CBI to conduct a probe into the Railways’ ‘fake claim’ of spending `3 lakh to mend an approach road leading to Thuravoor railway station. According to the federation, the divisional headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram had allegedly informed the Southern Railway headquarters in Chennai that the road was repaired last year, though it has not been maintained for the past fifteen years.“The officials at the divisional headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram said that they had spent `3 lakh for the maintenance of the 1 km stretch. Its repair was notified in 2010,” said the Railway Central Public Information Officer’s reply to a query under the RTI Act. Advocate D B Binu, a resident of Thuravoor, who had filed the application, said that he was shocked by the response. “I have been using this road for so many years. I’m sure no repair work has been carried out,” Binu said, adding that the then Railway Minister E Ahmed had visited the site and promised to get the road repaired.The approach road was built by the Railways 23 years ago when the station was inaugurated. It had been left deserted since then. “Since it is a coastal region, people prefer to commute by train as it is a cheaper mode of transportation. From the Pallithode region alone at least 300 passengers use the road daily. Travelling on the road has always been a nightmarish experience for them,” said Chakravani, a resident of Thuravoor. Autorikshaw drivers also refuse to ply on the potholed road.The Thiruvananthapuram Divisional Railway Manager was not available for comments.
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