Floods in Orissa have hit rail movement to and from Dhamra
port, promoted jointly by Tata Steel and L&T.
There has been virtually no movement in the past two days,
with flood-hit villagers having taken shelter at several points on the 62-km
long railway track connecting the port with the Howrah-Chennai mainline.
Confirming it, a spokesman for Dhamra port said the port
authorities had started relief work among the affected people. He, however,
hoped that the normal rail movement should resume soon as the water level was
receding and the people too were keen to go back to their homes.
With situation improving, there was a possibility of the
port handling the exports of iron ore for the first time, he said.
Meanwhile, the sharp drop in iron ore exports and slackness
in coking coal imports through the Paradip port is causing concern to ECoR. The
number of export rake carrying iron ore to the port has declined to one or two
a day against six to seven previously.
The coking coal import too has slumped but not as much.
There is a demand for around eight to ten rakes a day for back-loading against
13-14 previously.
As a result, the empties are being moved into the port. The
coal loading at Talcher continues to be unsatisfactory – 13-/14 rakes a day
against 26-27 normally – due to various factors. On the whole, the freight
loading in the current month presents a dismal picture.
In keeping with the trend all over the Indian Railways, ECoR
too was having a large number of empty rakes stabled at various points, the
spokesman added.
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