KOZHIKODE: After years of being held hostage by nearby Kozhikode city and Feroke, finally the picturesque Kadalundy has started to come up on its own as a Community Reserve Forests and Bird Sanctuary in the state. The picturesque beauty of the place also attracts tourists from war and wide. But acute lack of rail connectivity is staring at the developmental dreams of the place. "The shortest and easiest way to reach for a tourist to Kadalundi is by train. But due to non-availability of express trains, the railway option is practically useless," laments Kadalunti Train Passengers' Association President T. Premnath.
Kadalundi station is the nearest rail head to Calicut University and a convenient place to board for students and sportsmen frequenting there. Besides, the proposed National Institute for Research and Development in Defense Ship Building (NIRDESH) is coming at Chaliyam, nearby Kadalundi. But the repeated pleas of the Association and trading community to give stoppage to express trains have not yielded result.
"We are demanding stoppage to at least three express trains, viz., Cannannore-Yeshwanthpur express, Cannannore-Alleppy executive express and Thiruvananthapuram-Mangalore Malabar express," says N. Najeeb, Joint Secretary of the Association. There is no road overbridge or underground passage at Kadalundi station. There used to be a underground passage near to the station in the past, but it has disappeared after the recent track doubling works. Passengers are left with no option but to take the risk and walk over the rail tracks to get to the other side.
