Pressure of trains in tiger reserve affects wild life said chief conservator of forest cum field director MP Singh.
These are local passenger trains, long distance express trains and goods trains. On an average 17 to 18 passenger trains pass through tiger reserve Palamu a day apart from 60 to 70 number of goods trains a day .
Combined together it is 80 to 90 trains a day and its affect on wild life does not need any more explanation reiterated M P Singh.
Asked as to how PTR can afford to get rid of these movements of trains a cool and calm M P Singh said ‘Trains move because there are railway lines for Up trains and Dn trains. The railway tracks be left intact there. It is the passage of goods trains that needs to be eased off in PTR. There is no question of touching the passage of passenger trains through PTR. let passenger trains run as per their schedule’.
This stretch of PTR remains awake all night for either the Up train or the Dn train. Asked as to how railways will have this bifurcation of tracks one for passenger trains and the other for goods trains MP Singh said, “A 27 Km stretch of railway lines dots PTR. Railways can go for alternative 27 km stretch of railway tracks by going on land other than that of PTR. And on this stretch of alternative track the railways are most free to run their long fleet of goods trains”.
Railways can do this he asserted. This is to ease the environment and habitat for wild life here.
Field director Singh had a word of appreciation for the minister in-charge latehar Saryu Roy who in his last week review of PTR had suggested that Indian railways be approached with this proposal to shift the movement of goods trains on this 27 Km stretch of railway tracks to other alternative railway tracks.
Quoting the Minister Singh said this will keep the railway tracks falling in PTR burden free of the movement of goods trains. local passenger trains be run as usual on this railway tracks and it will be more beneficial if long distance express trains too are taken down on the alternative railway tracks.
Railway sources said tracks do have peace time when goods trains don ot ply on it This railway sources further said there is sufficient time gap between one passenger train from the other and this too favours peace and tranquility in PTR.
PTR is segment in four parts all due to rail and roads.