KOCHI: The about eight-year-long wait for the sixth platform at Ernakulam Junction Railway Station will come to an end with the commissioning of the platform on Monday. The people’s forum has demanded more facilities at the new platform.The final work was taken up during the weekend when the traffic through the Junction was almost suspended. The first train is expected to arrive on Monday morning, sources said. But it will take a month’s time to commence full-fledged services.The commissioning of the platform will increase the efficiency of the Railway in operating trains through the section. Trains would not have to wait for long time in the outer for want of a platform, Railway sources said.The move to construct the platform began about eight years ago. Due to several reasons the work was suspended at regular intervals. The work picked up momentum about a couple of years back and then began to move at a snail’s pace. The multi-storey building of the GCDA on the eastern entry had been under-utilised due to the delay in completion of the platform work. Meanwhile, the Karithala Poura Samithy appealed to the Railway to improve the basic facilities in the new platform. The samithy expressed concern over the Railway not taking up work on basic facilities despite having large funds at its disposal. Citing an RTI reply, the samithy said that only 20 percent of the Rs 65 crore allotted for Kerala have been utilised while huge amounts have been diverted to Tamil Nadu.The forum said that the Railway should utilise the funds to take over the GCDA building and 2.5 acre land.The forum said that the Railway should honour the board’s decision to accommodate 24 coaches in the new platform. It also wanted a solution for sewage issue on Karshaka Road which exposes the residents to various diseases. The forum demanded the construction of a canal through HPC to Perandoor Canal.
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