Katras

Katras also known as Katrasgarh is a semi-urban area/kasbaa notified area in Dhanbad district in the Indian state of Jharkhand.OverviewAn hour drive from district headquarters Dhanbad, Katras is a place where people from various religions and communities live together. Katras comes under Dhanbad municipal corporation and it is very popular for its Durga puja celebration. It is located on the bank of river Katri and is surrounded by coal mines. Lilori temple is the most important place of interest in Katras. The chief source of income is primarily from the coal mines of Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL), headquartered in Dhanbad City. However, as income from BCCL has been reduced and new sources of income have not evolved, residents of Katras have begun to migrate to other cities. It is well connected by railway and road. Nearest functional airport is in Ranchi, the capital city of Jharkhand.It has now become a dying city due to loss of Connectivity by railways and due negligence of political leaders.HistoryKatras is named after river "Katri", which flows by Katras. It is believed that people have been living in Katras for more than 200 years. And later around 1900 AD many migrants from Bihar came and settled here, as Bihar was suffering from a severe famine. Many coal mines were founded in Katras under British Rule. New Railway route from Asansol to Ranchi via Dhanbad and Katras was created in 1894 and Katras Railway station was founded around 1900 (later it was re-established in 1953 and came to be known as Katrasgarh). A train, widely known as DC passenger, from Dhanbad to Chandrapura via Katras was started in 1896, and was closed on 15 june 2017. Due to underground fire beside the railway line.