Laying down of third railway line between Chhipadohar railway station and Hehegara railway halt has come to a standstill over the last many weeks as this 9 km stretch between the railway station and the railway halt comes under the core area of the tiger reserve Palamu, said deputy director North division of the PTR, Kumar Ashish.
Ashish said the railways will have to seek permission for it from higher bodies like National Board of Wildlife including the Supreme Court which has a committee to look into such matters of invasion in tiger reserve.
The railways are laying the third railway line between Patratu and Garhwa Road junction, a distance of nearly 208 kilometers, which is to pass through this sensitive stretch of 9 Km too which falls in the core area of the PTR.
The Congress MLA of Manika Ramchander Singh has brought this issue to the notice of the chief minister Hemant Soren who holds the portfolio of forest, environment and climate change department besides making chief secretary, principal secretary forest, PCCF wildlife, DC Latehar etc aware of this stalemate over the third railway line through a two page letter that Ramchander Singh wrote back in November itself.
The MLA and the deputy director North division Kumar Ashish claimed that none of them are creating obstacle rather they have a suggestion for the railways which is highly suitable for them.
The two suggest the railways to go for 11 Km instead of 9 Km ‘by way of getting out of the core area of the PTR’. This will keep their entire existing railway infrastructures like railway stations, cabins etc in place and as it is.
Singh has maintained that this going out of the core area of the PTR will free trains to adhere to 25 KMPH when negotiating the core area besides this going out of the core area of the PTR will save the railways from making underpass or overpass which is another huge expenditure.
If the railways take to 11 Km proposal outside the core area it can have its railway halt at Kaer which will be a tourists’ halt as this place is less than 15 Kms away from Betla National Park.
The Congress MLA has suggested that if the railways take this 11 Km option outside the core area then a parallel road can also be built which will reduce the distance of Latehar from Barwadeeh, Chhipdaohar and Hehegara by 30 to 50 KMs.
Ramchander Singh has further suggested that this road if built will give a facelift to highly naxal infested and affected villages like Bendi, Lawagarha, Ambatiker, Gua, Antikheta, Chungru , Kaer etc.