Daltonganj: Two railway stations and three railway lines, which come under the core area of Palamu Tiger Reserve (PTR), will be relocated soon, officials here said.PTR officials said the Ministry of Forest, Environment and Climate Change is in talks with the Ministry of Railways for relocation of the Hehegara and Chhipadohar railway stations, along with three railway tracks, to minimise risk on wildlife in the reserve.Under Dhanbad division of East Central Railways, the stations serve as a vital rain link and up to 125 trains travel up and down these tracks every day.Regional chief conservator of forest and field director of the PTR, S R Natesha on Wednesday said, “The relocation is a long-pending issue as the PTR stands fragmented because of this. Not just the railway lines, but a state highway also passes through the PTR. However, relocation of railway property is currently on the anvil. After that, we will press for shifting of the state highway too.”He added that the relocation will mutually benefit the railways and the PTR. “Currently, the railways are mandated to limit the speed of the trains to 25 kmph for the safety of wildlife and ensure continuous whistling to prevent any hurt to wildlife. Relocation will help railways get rid of all those safety cautions,” Natesha said.Railway sources said Hehegara station will be moved to a site 5 km away while Chhipadohar station will be relocated to Kuchila 1.75 km away. After the relocation of three lines, each measuring 11.5 km, they will become 18.5 km in length. “On relocation these lines will start from Gua to Kuchila,” said a railway source.Railway sources however said that they are awaiting acquisition of 365-plus acres of land. “The land to be acquired is of three types: private, govt and forest,” said railway sources.Natesha added that the deliberations are also underway for a tunnel/underpass nearby the ‘chicken neck’ of the Betla National Park.
