RANCHI: Railways is all set to relocate 11-km stretch of the railway track, which goes through the middle of the core area of Palamu Tiger Reserve (PTR) as the process of land acquisition has already been started.
According to PTR officials, a survey has already been completed by a joint team of PTR and Railway officials. Following the survey, the land acquisition process has been initiated, with the district administration also playing an active role, they said.
Notably, in 2021, the Rail Vikas Nigam sought a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Palamu Tiger Reserve regarding the laying of a third railway line.
The Palamu Tiger Reserve raised objections to the laying of this third line and requested that the railway alignment be diverted, following which, the matter was referred to the State Wildlife Board, which is chaired by the Chief Minister.
Subsequently, in 2023, the case reached the National Wildlife Board; the Board withheld approval for the laying of the third line and instead directed that the two existing lines be diverted.
The railway line situated between the Chhipadohar and Hehegara stations—both located within Latehar district—is set to be diverted, as it currently passes through the core area of the Palamu Tiger Reserve.
The distance covered by the existing railway alignment is approximately 11 kilometers. Following the diversion from Chhipadohar, the railway line will proceed through Ked village before reaching Hehegara. As a result of this diversion, the total distance will increase from 11 kilometers to approximately 14 kilometers.
The diverted railway line will run along the periphery of the Palamu Tiger Reserve, with only a stretch of a few hundred meters remaining within the reserve's boundaries.
Furthermore, following the diversion, a tunnel is to be constructed along the section of the railway line passing through the vicinity of the Palamu Tiger Reserve to ensure that no harm is caused to the wildlife corridors. PTR officials informed that an assessment of the situation post-diversion is currently underway.
At various locations along the proposed route, villagers have offered their suggestions and presented their demands concerning the railway line, which are being duly taken into consideration and are currently under review.
PTR Deputy Director, Prajesh Kant Jena, said that the PTR has received the communication related to the forest land to be acquired by the Railways for relocation of the railway line.
“The proposal to relocate the railway line has been approved, and its Detailed Project Report (DPR) has also been prepared. Currently, a formal communication regarding land acquisition has been received by PTR, in which, it has been directed to conduct a survey specifically concerning the diversion work to be undertaken within the forest area,” said the PTR Deputy Director.
The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) carried out this survey, which provides a detailed account of the changes expected to occur following the diversion, he added.
According to PTR officials, passing of trains from the core area causes a lot of disturbance to the wild animals, besides posing a threat on their lives as several animals have been mowed down by the speeding trains in the past.
They also asserted that relocation of railway track will also allow improvement of wild life habitat inside the PTR.