Title - Railways makes headway on Seopur-Kathautia line - The Times of India

HAZARIBAG: East Central Railway, which is currently constructing the Koderma-Hazaribag-Barkakana-Ranchi line, has made some headway in the proposed Seopur (Tandwa)-Tori (Chandwa) to Kathautia west of the Hazaribag National Park between Hazaribag and Koderma for linking CIC line with the grand chord section.

Anil Prakash, deputy chief engineer of the project, said on Wednesday it was initially planned to take this line to connect Hazaribag for giving Hazaribag station the status of a junction. "But the project had to be shelved because of serious objection raised by the Union forest ministry because of loss of forest and greenery as the line was to pass through thick jungle," he said.

The Union forest ministry, however, suggested that the permission could only be given provided the alignment of the line was changed and deforestation was marginal. The deputy chief engineer said the project was made for transportation of coal of NTPC and new coal mining projects. "After the first objection, the ECR submitted a fresh proposal without delay for linking the proposed line with Kathuatia and after studying the alternative proposal, the Union forest ministry issued a clearance certificate for stage I."

Once the 100-km line costing Rs 3,000 crore will open, the door for new coal transportation corridor will be opened and Kathautia station will become new junction for linking Sheopur-Tori line with Koderma on the Grand Chord line with the CIC line in the Barkakana section.

The project is expected to be completed by middle of 2017, he said.

Prakash said a new 11-km line linking Banadag with Hazaribag would be completed by June 2013 so that the NTPC's coal mining project at Pakri Barwadih can be started in time. This project will cost Rs 92 crore.