A RAIL FACTORY
IN THE SHADOW OF HISTORY
S.M.
Kumar*
Some places come
to the limelight all of a sudden. They may have no merit to fame.
But destiny sometimes helps in a big way. Take Harnaut for example.
Until May 30, 2003 very few people might have heard about it.
But on that day it emerged from obscurity to fame.
Harnaut cannot
be spotted on any map. It is a small village in the Nalanda district
of Bihar. A wayside railway station links it with Patna, the State
capital, 60 kilometres away, or Rajgir, the famous Jain-Buddhist
pilgrim centre and the terminal point on this route . But the
ruins of Nalanda, the world-renowned seat of learning till it
was destroyed by Bakhtiar Khiliji in the 12th century AD, are
within close proximity of Harnaut.
The village came
in focus when the President, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam laid the foundation
stone of a rail factory there. Approved in the Railway Budget
2003-04, it is designed for maintenance of 500 coaches initially.
But in phases its capacity will ultimately go up to maintain 2000
coaches every year. The project is slated for completion in two
years at a cost of Rs. 98.4 crore.
On completion,
the Harnaut factory is intended to be a showpiece of the newly
set up East Central Railway(ECR) which primarily caters to Bihar,
Jharkhand and eastern Uttar Pradesh with its headquarters in Hajipur.
Presently it has over 2100 passenger coaches. ECR is slated to
rapidly expand its network in the coming years. There are proposals
to connect several remote areas in the regions of its operation.
A large number of mega bridges are to be built over the rivers
in the three States under its operation. The Harnaut factory will
ensure that all passenger coaches under its jurisdiction do not
have to go for maintenance to other zonal railways. It will directly
employ over one thousand workers. The people whose lands have
been acquired to set up the factory are to be duly compensated
in terms of money and jobs. The indirect beneficiaries once the
factory gets commissioned will be manifold. The factory will serve
as a catalyst in removing the backwardness of the areas around
it following the generation of several economic activities.
The President
also inaugurated the electric traction of the Patna-Gaya line
of ECR on May 30, 2003. This section of 92 kilometres has been
electrified at a total cost of Rs. 36.5 crore. The Prime Minister
had laid the foundation stone for this work on February 2, 2002.
The project has been completed in a record time of about one year
and the inauguration of mainline multiple electrical unit (MEMU)
train services on this section heralded the introduction of electric
traction on this important route.
Electrification
of the section has provided a faster, eco-friendly and convenient
mode of transport to the daily commuters, especially to the tourists
who largely depend on rail transport in this area.
This section
serves as an important link between the historical cities of Patna
and Gaya. Electrification of this section has bridged the gap
between the two principal routes of the East Central Railway –
the electrified Grand Chord route and the electrified main line.
Electrification
of this line has obviated the need for change of traction at Patna
for Gaya-bound trains and at Gaya for Patna-bound trains. Electrification
has enabled the introduction of better, faster and convenient
train services between Patna and Gaya, enhancing the tourist traffic
in this area. (PIB Features)
*Information Officer,
PIB, New Delhi
