Jamshedpur/Chaibasa Oct. 15: The South Eastern Railway has decided to revamp its Chakradharpur division close on the heels of investments in different sectors planned by the industrial giants in the Singhbhum region.

As part of the steps initiated to strengthen the network and infrastructure of the division, railway yards at Tatanagar and Adityapur stations will be extended and a new station will be set up between Padapahar and Deoharjhar.

South Eastern Railway sources told The Telegraph from Calcutta that the department has planned to invest more than Rs 150 crore, in a phase wise manner, in the next couple of years to develop and strengthen infrastructure in the Chakradharpur division .

?There will soon be an increase in freight carriage from the Singhbhum belt. We have to prepare ourselves to meet the demands of the industries in that zone, both in the movement of raw materials and finished products,? said sources.

Singhbhum is one of the industrial hubs of the state. Investment plans to the tune of Rs 15,000 crore have already been made by major industries in the region.

Tata Steel has decided to invest Rs 10,000 to boost its production from four to seven million tonnes by 2007.

Three sponge iron plants are being set up in the Adityapur industrial belt.

Indian Iron and Steel Company (IISCO), a subsidiary of Steel Authority of India (SAIL), has planned to invest more than Rs 2000 crore to expand the Chiriya mines in West Singhbhum, while the Associated Cement Company (ACC) plant at West Singhbhum, too, is being expanded at a cost of more than Rs 200 crore.

?We are extending the two yards at Tatanagar and Adityapur that handle the Tata Steel?s raw materials and finished products. The yards are also being modernised to cater to the steel major?s requirements. The capacity of these two yards are being increased considerably,? sources said.

Chief manager (traffic) of South Eastern Railway, Ashok Kumar, said the railways planned major upgradation of the Chakradharpur division.

?We will fail to meet the industrial demands if we don?t upgrade the facilities,? he said.

Kumar said a new station would be set up between Padapahar and Deoharjhar.

?The new station will be set up to facilitate movement of iron ore in the West Singhbhum region. The freight traffic needs to be regulated at regular intervals so we have decided to set up a new railway station,? he added.

Divisional railway manager (DRM) of Chakradharpur division R.K. Singh said two tunnels and 23 bridges in the division are being renovated on a priority basis. Singh said the engineers have finished work on seven bridges in the first phase.

?Now the tunnels are being worked upon. However, more time is required to complete the work,? he added.

Railway sources said the bridges and tunnels were being upgraded for the increased freight traffic in the division.

?The bridges and tunnels are more than nine decades old. Unless we strengthen them, it would be impossible to handle the tremendous pressure of freight traffic in the division,? they added.