Redevelopment of city station in the lurch

Ministry shuts down Indian Railway Station Development Corporation

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Amarjot Kaur

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 19

The Ministry of Railways has ‘in principle’ decided to close down the Indian Railway Station Development Corporation (IRSDC), leaving the plan for redeveloping Chandigarh railway station in the lurch again.

Though zonal railways have now been directed to develop stations’ projects, officials could not give the exact details of how they plan to go ahead with the redevelopment.

The renovation of Chandigarh railway station has been hanging fire since October 2012, when the then Railways Minister, Pawan Kumar Bansal, had announced that it would be made a world-class facility.

The IRSDC was formed in 2012 for transforming the country’s railway stations into world-class hubs.

It was only in March this year that IRSDC conducted the first pre-bid meeting for leasing vacant land parcels for mixed-use development as part of the Chandigarh railway station redevelopment project. In September, the bids were invited for setting up a rail arcade at the city station.

In a letter dated October 18, the Railway Board communicated the approval to dissolve the IRSDC.

“The Competent Authority has now decided ‘in principle’ for the closure of the IRSDC,” read the contents of the letter, which has been addressed to the vice-chairman, Rail Land Development Authority; the chairman and managing director, Ircon; the chairman and managing director of RITES Ltd; and the managing director and chief executive officer of the IRSDC.

“All project-related documents be handed over to the respective Zonal Railways by the IRSDC. Examine other contracts. Transfer (novate) the contracts to Zonal Railways,” read the letter by Harish Chandra, Deputy Director, Station Dev.-2, Railway Board.

Meanwhile, GM Singh, DRM, Ambala Division, said, “We still don’t have any updates on the further steps that need to be taken, but we are ready to take up tasks we are given and perform them to the best of our abilities.”