Shoranur: Autorickshaws in front of the Shoranur Junction railway station get a new parking space. The railway has allowed the autorickshaws to park at the old road near the station.

Now, the 86 autorickshaws operating services in the vicinity of the Shoranur railway station can park at the new area without causing traffic blockades in front of the station. Besides, permission has been granted to park up to five autos in front of the station. 

Besides autorickshaws, taxis too have been allotted separate parking space on the side of the railway station. Currently, 18 taxi cars run services from the Shoranur railway station. A beautiful garden too has been arranged behind the new space allotted for the taxi stand.

Railway had asked the autorickshaws that have been using the area in the east side of the station as the stand to move to a different spot when the renovation works started a few months ago. The autorickshaws and taxis were then temporarily using the nearby plot owned by the public works department as the parking area.

However, the public works department barred the vehicles from using their premises as a parking spot stating that a She Lodge would be soon built here. The autorickshaws and taxis then began parking on the side of the road to take passengers.

Meanwhile, the police and the RPF instructed that parking is not allowed in front of the railway station as it causes traffic blockades. More than 100 autorickshaw drivers in the area were severely affected by lack of a proper parking spot. 

The auto drivers then urged the Southern Railway manager to allot them a suitable parking spot when the latter visited the station. Besides, municipal chairman MK Jayaprakash had submitted a representation to the railway highlighting the problems faced by the autorickshaw drivers. The railway authorities then allowed the autorickshaw drivers to use a land owned by the railway as the parking spot.

Although the drivers have urged the railway to arrange lighting in the area, it has not happened yet. They say that passengers are reluctant to hire auto from here at night as the area is shrouded in darkness. Besides, the passengers are unable to spot the auto in the darkness. Malayala Manorama had recently reported on the issue of lack of parking space for the autorickshaws in front of Shoranur railway station.