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Munger : Smooth operation of traffic on Kiul-Sahebganj section  is on card as the railways obtained no objection certificate from the union forest and environment ministry for another railway tunnel in Kali Pahari near Jamalpur in Munger.

The hindrances in smooth operation of railway traffic on Kiul-Sahebganj  section is  mainly due to single tracks. Even after doubling this old route popularly known as Kiul-Sahebganj loop section, doubling of the tracks yet not been possible at some places like in between Ratanpur-Jamalpur mainly because of the Kali Pahari, the range of Kharaghpur series of hills. Though the railway has been operating through a single tunnel over more than last one hundred years, now it creates problems due to increase in traffic on this section. So the need of another tunnel in the hills is urgently required for doubling the tracks.

A close views of the tunnel near Jamalpur.

Sources from Malda division of eastern railway under which jurisdiction the tunnel called as Bariakol tunnel falls, claimed that another new tunnel at some distance on south direction of the present existing tunnel would likely to be prepared by 2018. This was possible only after the union ministry of forest and environment has recently given no objection certificate to railway mainly for construction of the tunnel.

Earlier this tunnel across the hills was made between 1860-1861 and was the  bottleneck in the faster proliferation of the East India Railway  network, which started off from Howrah to Raneegunje(Raniganj, collieries near Asansol in 1855 and  reached Jamalpur (1862).

The proposed site of new tunnel near Jamalpur.

A railway sources said that over more than 5 years the matter of obtaining no objection certificate was pending and hence after the approval, work would be started soon. Railways would soon started related works like survey etc. The works like designing of the new tunnel, the power of the blasts to make out the tunnel and the impact of the blasts that could have its impact on the entire hills and the present existing tunnel etc.

The source also disclosed that the proposed works would be executed by experts concerns of Central Institute of Mining and Research, Dhanbad, Jharkhand.