Katras

Katras is a semi-urban area/kasbaa notified area in Dhanbad district in the Indian state of Jharkhand.

Overview

An hour drive from Dhanbad city, 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 in locations like "G.N.M High School Maidan "Rani Bajar", "Railway Ground", "Dhan Mill". It is a located on the bank of the Katri River and is surrounded by coal mines. It has an important railway station called "Katras Garh". Hanuman Mansion, Tribhuwan complex,Khaitan Tower,durga market and shree krishna market are a few of the known market complexes. The chief source of income is primarily from the coking coal industry 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, Katras residents have begun to migrate to other nearby states. Those who remain are either living in poverty or are involved in illegal activities, such as coal theft, as a means to earn money. A small segment of the population is employed in businesses and BCCL and they are trying to bear each other as best as they can. Those who don't want to resort to illegal coal theft are left with few options, one of them being preparation for government service jobs. A novelist by the name of Qamar Takhyan(kamrul huda) also lives at chhatabad, 1 km away from Katras Railway station. His urdu novel "Gul-e-Sehra" has earned a wide fame and appreciation.