Washermenpet needs a computerised counter

CHENNAI: For the benefit of lakhs people living in and around Washermenpet, Korrukupet and Tondiarpet, the local residents have demanded that the Southern Railway authorities set up a computerised Railway Reservation Counter at the Washermenpet railway station. Though the demand for such a facility with the railway authorities have been made several times in the past five years, nothing has fructified yet, the residents complained.“There are several government hospitals, including Stanley Medical College Hospital and the RSRM Hospital, and several government offices and institutions in the area. But, we have to go to either the Chennai Central Railway Station or Egmore Station to book tickets for long distance journeys,” rued Abdul Haleem, a social activist and a resident of Pensioners’ Lane in the locality.Thousands of peoples and patients use the Washermenpet railway station to visit these hospitals from far flung areas and for their return journey, they are forced to visit Central or Egmore to book their tickets, he adds. Setting up a computerised Railway Reservation Counter at Washermenpet railway station would benefit the locals from Washermenpet to Thiruvotriyur since the station here has become a hub of sorts for all visitors. “We have been representing with the railway authorities for such a centre over the past five years, but it has not yielded any results till now,” Mubarak Hussain, another resident said.While south Chennai has many such facilities, including those at Mylapore, Mambalam, St Thomas Mount and Tambaram, the northern part of the city lacks in the number of centres. The few reservation counters are located at Beach Station (Parrys Corner), Perambur and Thiruvottiyur. If the authorities are not ready to set up the centre at Washermenpet, they can set up the facility at Royapuram, which is one of the oldest railway stations in the country and next station after Washermenpet, Haleem said.According to local railway officials, a decision on setting up a computerised reservation counter at any station would be taken only by high-level officials and it is directly related to the patronage of the particular station where it has been planned.