Tatanagar and four other railway stations under Chakradharpur division of South Eastern Railway (SER) will soon get a renovated automatic ticket checking and managing access (ATMA) machine to help travellers maintain social distancing during the pandemic.

Senior divisional commercial manager of Chakradharpur railway division Manish Pathak said two of the machines, which would be installed at Tatanagar, were being donated by Tata Steel while the remaining four machines would be installed under a railway scheme titled, innovative non-fare revenue ideas.

The four other railway stations which will get an ATMA machine each are Chakradharpur, Rourkela, Jharsuguda and Barbil. Each machine costs around Rs 1.15 lakh.

The machine is equipped with technology that can scan the body temperature of passengers and can also detect whether a passenger is using a mask or not. On getting a green signal about the temperature, a passenger is then supposed to show the ticket which is also scanned without any kind of contact.

The HD camera installed at the booth will check the ID proof and ticket of the passenger.

" The machine ensures safety by adhering to social distancing norms by both passengers as well as railway staff. The machines will be installed at the entrance of the station building. We are hopeful of starting the facility at Tatanagar from Monday," said Pathak, who is also a railway spokesperson.

Chakradharpur railway division is also planning to introduce an automated face mask and hand sanitizer dispensing machines at Tatanagar and other important stations under it to help those who may have forgotten to carry sanitizers and masks.

Apart from Shramik special trains, five passenger trains, including Puri-New Delhi Rajdhani Express and Howrah-Barbil Jan Shatabdi Expresses pass through Tatanagar and several other stations under the Chakradharpur railway division.