Rail roko at Salem
DMK workers squatted on the rail tracks in Salem when the Kochi-bound Gorakhpur Express arrived at Salem junction, demanding creation of Salem division of the Southern Railway, as scheduled on September 14. The 'rail roko' agitation staged by DMK workers demanding creation of Salem railway division have temporarily been called off after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi appealed to all political parties to withdraw the protests, demanding creation of Salem railway division. Karunanidhi said Railway Minister Lalu Prasad had assured him that it would be formed. Earlier, trains moving to and from Kerala via Tamil adu were being stopped at various stations with many trains being cancelled. The the two states are at loggerheads over the creation of the Salem division by bifurcating the Palakkad division in Kerala. While Kerala is up in arms over this, Tamil Nadu is now resorting to armtwisting to ensure that their demands are met. With the Onam season around the corner, the disruption in services has thrown rail traffic out of gear.