BL reported that floods in Orissa have hit rail movement to and from Dhamra port, promoted jointly by TATA Steel and L&T.

As per report, there has been virtually no movement in the past two days, with flood hit villagers having taken shelter at several points on the 62 kilometers long railway track connecting the port with the Howrah to 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.

A spokesman for the East Coast Railway said that Dhamra port, on an average, handled four rakes a day, all carrying imported coal to steel plants. It remained suspended now. He added that with situation improving, there was a possibility of the port handling the exports of iron ore for the first time.

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 8 to 10 rakes a day for back-loading against 13 to 14 previously.

The spokesman added that in keeping with the trend all over the Indian Railways, ECoR too was having a large number of empty rakes stabled at various points.

(Sourced from www.thehindubusinessline.com)