Title - Dhanbad division touches new high

Dhanbad division of East Central Railway has broken several records in the 2011-12 fiscal to emerge as the second highest freight loading division of the country after Bilaspur.The division also created a record for loading 118 rakes comprising 6,315 wagons on March 31, 2012, the highest loading figure of any division on a single day.Providing details, divisional railway manager, Dhanbad division of East Central Railway (ECR) Sudhir Kumar said the division loaded 91.030 million tonnes, including 86.062 million tonnes of coal and 4.968 million tonnes of other goods to become the second highest loading division after Bilaspur, which loaded 117 million tonnes. Chakradharpur division came third with 80 million tonne of freight loading.“The division was given a target of 91 million tonne for 2012 and it achieved it despite several constraints like and law and order problems and frequent bandhs,” said Kumar at the annual press conference of his division on Tuesday. He added that the revenue earning during 2011-12 through freight loading was Rs 6,062.63 crore which was Rs 883.62 crore more than last year (2010-11).The gross earning of the division was Rs 6,276 crore in 2011-12, including Rs 6062 crore through freight loading, Rs 186.84 crore through passenger earnings and Rs 26.83 core through other earnings.Kumar also provided details of other achievements and initiatives of the division to improve passenger amenities and safety and staff welfare activities.Over the delay in developing the southern side of Dhanbad railway station —work on the Rs 4 crore project began last year —Kumar said only Rs 30 lakh had been made available for the purpose during the last year. He added that efforts were on to complete the project by the end of the new financial year.“Not only the southern side, but the existing northern face of Dhanbad station needs refurbishment. In the circulating area, there is need for separate lanes for different kinds of vehicles like cars, rickshaw and bikes to do away with the messy look,” said Kumar. He informed that work to this effect had already begun with the razing of some unused quarters.Over the manpower crisis in Dhanbad division he said more than 8,000 posts were lying vacant though 1,600 people were expected to be recruited through a panel soon.When asked about the underground fire near the railway track in Bansjora, senior divisional engineer (coordination) Bansh Narayan Singh said though the underground fire had spread from one side of the track to the other, it was simmering about 45 metres below the surface. Since the texture of the soil was rocky, there was no immediate threat to the track though the fire was being monitored continuously.Over reports of coal smuggling through passenger trains like Dhanbad-Gaya-Varanasi Passenger and Maurya Express, Kumar said a special drive would be launched to prevent smuggling of coal through trains, but also sought the cooperation of passengers who should inform the railway authorities, particularly the railway protection force.Additional divisional railway manager Rajesh Mohan, senior divisional commercial manager Dayanand, senior public relations officer Amrendra Das, senior divisional operating manager Ved Prakash and others were also present at the news meet.Over the steps taken by the division to ensure safety, senior divisional operating manager Ved Prakash said out of the 33 unmanned level crossings of the division, three have been manned during the last year, while the rest would be made manned in the coming days.