What has Holi got to do with the Railways? So much that one of its arms — the East Central Railway (ECR) — actually dreads the festival of colours.

Rues an official of the ECR: “Last year during Holi more than 75 rakes could not be loaded — 65 rakes of coal and some 10 rakes of other commodities. And with the Holi frenzy rising every year, we do not know what will happen this year…” “We are keeping our fingers crossed,” he adds not sounding very hopeful

Hajipur (Patna) headquartered ECR is a major freight-loading zonal railway, with its network covering four States — mostly Bihar (70 per cent) and partly Jharkhand (20 per cent) and Eastern UP and M.P. (together 10 per cent). And coal accounts for more than 90 per cent of all the freight it moves.

In these parts, Holi is at least a three-day affair, when every thing comes to a halt. “The revelry starts one day before the official festival and continues two days thereafter and normalcy seldom returns before the fourth or fifth day,” he points out.

ECR is especially worried this time because February had been a bad month, partly due to the Kumbh and partly due to the two-day strike in the mines. Also, unlike last year, a leap year, there will be one additional day of loading. The targeted freight traffic for February, therefore, could not be achieved.

ECR’s worry is all the more because it must handle at least 10 million tonnes (mt) of traffic in March to reach 102.3 mt target for 2012-13 against close to the 95 mt handled in 2011-12.

“So far we’ve handled 91.88 mt and are trying desperately to cross the 100-mt mark for the first time.

“Every fiscal, the last two months are crucial for our performance and during this period we gear up our entire machinery to achieve our best, but we now also realise that there are many things beyond anybody’s control,” adds the official.

But then Holi hai bhai Holi Hai .

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