For thousands of IT employees working at Technopark in Thiruvananthapuram but live outside the district, connectivity has been a major concern for many years. With very few trains stopping at Kazhakoottam railway station-the closest to the tech park- they are forced to get down at stops more than 15 kms away.
Although they have come up with a number of campaigns demanding that more trains stop at Kazhakoottam railway station, their efforts have gone in vain.
On Friday, hundreds working at the Technopark took out a rally to the Kazhakoottam railway station, demanding more halts for trains. Following the march, employees held a public meeting.
Holding placards that read “Train connectivity is our right, “We want better connectivity” and “More halts for trains at Kazhakoottam station”, the techies said that their previous attempts to draw attention to the issue had borne no fruit.
Under the banner of Prathidhwani, the socio-cultural group of Technopark employees first took up the issue in 2013. From holding social media campaigns to making a short film called Liberators to highlight their plight, the techies have now decided to take to the streets to force officials to listen to them.
"Techies who commute daily and for weekend holidays find it difficult to reach office on time from Thampanoor Central Railway Station," Rajeev Krishnan, secretary of Prathidhwani was quoted as saying.
Mayor VK Prasanth, who took part in the public meeting, has reportedly assured that the demands of the techies will soon be met.