The stretch of NH-32 between Gomoh and Topchanchi that was inaugurated on November 1. Picture by Gautam Dey

A new, 2.25km road between Gomoh and Topchanchi has done wonders for vehicles coming on NH-32 from Ranchi and Bokaro as they will no longer need to take that treacherous drive through Dhanbad to proceed towards Calcutta and Asansol.

The road, constructed by road construction department under a project of Jharia Rehabilitation and Development Authority (JRDA), was thrown open to traffic on November 1.

From now on, Calcutta and Asansol-bound vehicles can

proceed to Gomoh directly from Mahua.

A fund worth Rs 19.5 crore had been provided by Bharat Coking Coal Ltd (BCCL) to JRDA under the Jharia master plan. The 7-meter wide road for which a detailed project report had been prepared by infrastructure consultancy form Rites is also aimed at decongesting the roads of the coal capital.

Executive engineer of the Dhanbad road construction department M.N. Jha said the construction of the road was completed in 15 months.

“The new road passing through Mahuda, Nawagarh, Phularitand, Gomoh and Topchanchi will also be useful for people to go to Gomoh Railway station,” he said.

Jha explained that the new road would also work as a useful diversion when work on widening NH-32 to four lanes begins.

Land acquisition was on for the project to widen around 56.88km stretch of NH-32 from Rajgang to West Bengal border passing through Mahespur, Bhurungia and Chas.

While 24km this stretch is in Dhanbad district, the remaining falls under Bokaro district.

JRDA chief manager (civil) Sunil Dalela said. “Though we are yet to be formally informed about the new road, we are aware that the road has been completed and once the financial report is completed we hope to get a formal report from the road department.”

Beside the NH-32 diversion, three other roads, between Jharia and Kendua, Jharia and Sindri, Dumra and Tundu, are also to be diverted.

This apart, four railway lines going through subsidence prone areas are to be diverted as per the Jharia master plan under which more than 60,000 families living in 542 fire affected sites are to be shifted to non-coal bearing areas by constructing four satellite townships.

The rail lines to be diverted under the Jharia plan are the Patherdih-Sudamdih and Santhaldih-Gomoh lines under South Eastern Railway and Dhanbad-Chandrapura and Kusunda-Tetulmari Road lines under East Central Railway.

Dhanbad deputy commissioner Prashant Kumar, who is ex-officio MD of JRDA, said, “We have also made some progress with regard to the rail line diversions as discussions for diversion of these roads have been sent to the respective rail divisions.”

The railways authorities, sources added, had also given their go-ahead to JRDA for preparing feasibility reports for the diversions.

Rajiv Sharma, the president of Federation of Dhanbad Zila Chamber of Commerce and Industry, welcomed the developments, but demanded that immediate repairs of existing roads of the district, including NH-32 near Karkend, must be undertaken.