The authorities has accredited redevelopment of main railway stations by utilizing cash from its personal coffers as an alternative of going for Public Private Partnership (PPP), lastly bringing readability on the funding mechanism for these mega initiatives.
The Union Cabinet chaired by PM Narendra Modi on Wednesday accredited Rs 10,000 crore for the redevelopment of railway stations at New Delhi, Mumbai (Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus) and Ahmedabad in Gujarat. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav whereas briefing the media on the cupboard’s determination stated that the work will probably be finished beneath the engineering, procurement and development mannequin and the cash will come solely from the exchequer.
“Railways caters to middle class and lower middle class so any additional burden on passengers is not good. Therefore, it has been decided to invest the budget money in the Railways. It is a conscious decision to redevelop all these stations under the EPC model,” he stated.
The Indian Express had earlier reported the federal government’s intention to undertake station redevelopment works moderately than watch for the PPP mannequin to start – a precedence undertaking to be overseen by the Prime Minister’s Office.
Vaishnav stated the goal is to finish the redevelopment of New Delhi station in three and a half years. The different two stations can be redeveloped in two-and-a-half years, he stated, including that the tenders would exit in about 10 days.
“The New Delhi station will integrate train services with buses, auto and metro rail services. The redesign of Ahmedabad station is inspired by the Sun Temple of Modhera. The heritage building of CSMT will not be touched, but the surrounding buildings will be redeveloped,” he stated.
With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
