Wait for Chandigarh railway station makeover gets longer

Tribune News Service

Amarjot Kaur

Chandigarh, January 29

The Chandigarh railway station’s wait to earn a “world-class” tag has got longer. There is no clarity on when the work on the project, hanging fire since 2012, will start.

Earlier, the station’s redevelopment project came under the purview of Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation (IRSDC), which was shut down by the Railway Board on October 18 last year. All projects falling under the IRSDC will be handed over to zonal railways by March 31. The Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA) is now in charge of the station’s redevelopment project.

The renovation of the station was first announced in October 2012, when former MP Pawan Kumar Bansal was the Railways Minister. The IRSDC was formed in 2012 for transforming the country’s railway stations into world-class hubs.

In March last year, the IRSDC had 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, bids were invited for setting up a rail arcade at the station. The work on the project is stuck since then.

Bansal said the station was amongst the first five stations in India, which were to get a makeover. “This was decided during the first term of the UPA. Our idea was to keep the land, not lease it out to someone and use the PPP model for the buildings and services at the station,” he said.

Ambala DRM GM Singh said the RLDA was now looking after the world-class project and it was in the process of hiring a new project manager. “We too are in the process of taking over other operations of the station that were earlier managed by the IRSDC. Maybe in another 10 days, we will be done with this process,” he said.

About The Author

Tribune News Service

The Tribune News Service brings you the latest news, analysis and insights from the region, India and around the world. Follow the Tribune News Service for a wide-ranging coverage of events as they unfold, with perspective and clarity.

Join Whatsapp Channel of The Tribune for latest updates.

#Chandigarhrailwaystation