A talk of laying of third railway tracks is doing the rounds in the Palamu Tiger Reserve.
There already exists two tracks Up and Dn in PTR which covers a distance of 27 Kms right inside the PTR and on an average the railway traffic on this section of CIC of Dhanbad division of East Central railways is above 70 trains a day, which includes passenger trains, express trains, long distance trains and goods trains.
Sources said Indian Railways are mooting a plan to lay its third line here which will be again in the core area of PTR. Dr Mohan Lal field director of PTR said on Tuesday “ I too have come to know of this that Indian Railway is toying with an idea to lay its third track which is to pass through PTR.” Lal further said “ It is also learnt that railways had acquired the land for its two existing and operational Up and Dn lines that pass through PTR way back in 1960 and theremaining unoccupied so acquired land will be for laying now of third track when neither this PTR was in existence nor had come then Forest Conservation Act and Wild Life Protection Act.”
Lal said “ If what has been learnt with regard to the laying of third railway track to pass through PTR proves true then let me make it very clear that any land acquisition of land done in 1960 cannot reserve any right or claim to
bypass Acts of the country which are solely for forest and wild life.” The Indian Railways will be bound to toe the lines of the Acts like forest Conservation and wild life protection. Lal referred to Mandal Dam which too was started well before these two Acts came into force and now when the government of India decided to revive and make this dam functional it is undergoing all the rigours as set down in the Acts where for every minute aspect of the dam right from state wild life board down to national board of wild life the user agency of this dam the state water resources department is toeing the lines of the two boards with a mandatory environmental clearance.
“ I would like to put this straight that railways if it has anything on its anvil for third line here in PTR must first study the case of Mandal dam” reiterated Lal who talks tough on issues that he considers harmful to PTR said sources. Here it is opportune to mention here that state minister Saryu Rai who is incharge of Latehar district under which falls this PTR had along with then field director of PTR M P Singh had tried to convince the railways to ‘take away this stretch of tracks that pass through PTR out of its bounds’ but here now comes the plan of third line to pass through PTR!
A K Mishra deputy director North division of PTR buttressing the information of his field director Mohan Lal said last week a team of 4 personnel who introduced themselves as from railway construction corporation called upon him in his office wherein this team wanted permission to enumerate the trees that come in the way of laying for its subsequent removal or felling thereon in PTR to which Mishra said “ I told them point blank that this is not to be granted as they will have to first present all relevant documents, papers etc right from their claim of acquisition of land to this latest plan of laying of third line to pass through PTR.