Kolkata/Dumka, June 7 (IANS) Before long, passengers using the Dumka railway station in Jharkhand will no longer have to contend with coal dust, congested roads and the constant noise associated with freight loading and unloading.

Eastern Railway (ER) is upgrading the New Madanpur halt into a full-fledged modern block station equipped with comprehensive goods shed facilities to handle the freight currently loaded and unloaded at Dumka.

“Apart from paving the way for better logistics infrastructure and smooth, high-capacity economic development, it will also address the problems at Dumka, which is a very important railway station as it is located at the headquarters of Dumka district and the Santhal Pargana region,” a senior official said.

Dumka currently handles an average of three to four trainloads (rakes) of coal, along with an additional rake carrying stone, sand and food grains.

For passengers, this has meant dealing with constant coal dust, trucks causing congestion on roads leading to the station and continuous noise.

“With coal loading projected to increase to six rakes per day, Eastern Railway listened to numerous public representations and stepped in with a permanent solution. By shifting these heavy coal freight operations to New Madanpur station, which is strategically located 4.20 km from Dumka and situated between the Dumka–Basukinath and Dumka–Baraplashi sections, the daily lives of people using the station will become significantly easier,” the official said.

“Passengers at Dumka will finally enjoy cleaner air and a healthier environment free from coal dust. Furthermore, heavy trucks will bypass the city centre and head directly to New Madanpur, freeing local roads from traffic congestion. Passengers will continue to avail of their transit requirements towards both Jasidih (JSME) and Bhagalpur without any disruption,” he added.

The new dedicated railhead at New Madanpur will also fulfil a critical and immediate requirement for a suitable rake-loading point to support the massive upcoming evacuation needs of local captive coal blocks.

The project accommodates the projected surge in commercial coal traffic and meets the logistics requirements of two major power-generation entities seeking to supply coal to power plants in Uttar Pradesh.

It will support the Saharpur-Jamarpani coal block, which has a capacity of 5.38 MTPA and is operated by Uttar Pradesh Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Ltd. (UPRVUNL) for the Jawahar Power Plant in Uttar Pradesh. It will also support the Pachwara South block of the Rajmahal coalfield, which has a capacity of 9 MTPA and is operated by Neyveli Lignite Corporation (NLC) for the Ghatampur Power Plant, a joint venture between UPRVUNL and NLC.

“Eastern Railway is fully committed to balancing industrial growth with public well-being, and upgrading New Madanpur into a full goods shed station solves two problems at the same time by providing the essential logistics support required by the power sector while giving the people of Dumka a cleaner, more peaceful and hassle-free station environment,” Shibram Majhi, CPRO, ER, said.

–IANS

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