STATE TIMES NEWS
CHANDIGARH: National General Secretary of Bharatiya Janata Party Tarun Chugh has said that to make India self-reliant as well as to make a strong and prosperous India, the gift of “Amrit Bharat Railway Station” scheme was given to country on Sunday by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Under this, a development amount of Rs 24,152 crore was also released to rejuvenate the country’s 508 railway stations to make them world class.
Talking about Punjab, Chugh said that under this Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, 22 railway stations of Punjab will also be included in the world class stations, for which Rs 1057 crore will be spent. Railways are constantly making efforts to provide better connectivity of railways and hi-tech facilities at stations to the common man in the country. In this episode, Prime Minister Narendra Modi released an amount of Rs 24152 crore for the development of these stations through video conferencing on August 6 under the Amrit Bharat Railway Station Scheme to rejuvenate all the selected railway stations.
Chugh told that railways were called the fate line of India and now under the leadership of the Prime Minister, railways will take the states on the path of progress as a fortune. A new policy has been created by the name AMRUT Bharat Station Yojana envisages development of stations with a long term vision and rejuvenation of railways as per station needs and patronage. The objective of the scheme is to prepare master plans of railway stations and implement them to enhance facilities including minimum essential facilities.
The scheme will complete it with state-of-the-art facilities by introducing new facilities as well as upgradation and replacement of existing facilities.
Chugh told that with the rejuvenation of the railways, the fate and picture of the concerned area will also change where the traffic of that area will be easy, employment opportunities will also be generated there.
He informed that the following broad work areas have been envisaged for the selected stations under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme. The plan includes expansion of the station, improvement of station entrances to ensure easy access by removal of unwanted structures, properly designed signage, dedicated walkways, well-planned parking areas, better lighting etc.
Landscaping, green patches and elements of local art and culture will be used to create a pleasant experience for station users.
Chugh said the scale of facilities and amenities to be provided would be finalized based on broad guiding principles, number of passengers at the station, users, various departments and consultations with stakeholders including local authorities.