Nearly 1000 Railway Stations developed as ‘Adarsh’ stations

Nearly 1000 Railway Stations developed as ‘Adarsh’ stations

“Eversince the Scheme of Development of Stations under ‘Adarsh’ Station Scheme started, 1052 stations were identified under ‘Adarsh’ station scheme and out of which, 946 stations have been developed till December 2015,” said Suresh Prabhu in Lok Sabha during Question Hour

New Delhi: Nearly 1,000 railway stations across the country have been developed as ‘Adarsh’ stations having facilities such as toilets, drinking water, catering services and waiting rooms, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu said today.

“Development of stations under ‘Adarsh’ station scheme was started in 2009-10. 1,052 stations were identified under ‘Adarsh’ station scheme and out of which, 946 stations have been developed till 2014-15,” he said in Lok Sabha during Question Hour.

Prabhu said review of the facilities available at stations developed as ‘Adarsh’ stations, in the light of passenger need and expectation, is a continuous and ongoing process.

Progress for development of stations under ‘Adarsh’ station scheme is monitored regularly at various levels viz. zonal railway level and Railway Board level, he said.

The expenditure on development of stations under Adarsh Station Scheme is generally funded under Plan Head ‘Passenger Amenities’, Prabhu said.

Adoption pledge by NGO to revamp Nashik Railway Station

Nashik based non-government organization Rail Parishad has proposed adoption of Nashik Road railway station under the Central Railway scheme of development of railway stations on public-private-partnership basis.

The Central Railways has decided to convert 33 railway stations in Maharashtra and beyond into state-of-the-art stations through the development of real estate. The private partner will have to develop and use the railway station for 45 years and then hand it back to the Railways after the end of the tenure. The railway stations selected under the scheme include Nashik Road, Pune, Dadar, Kalyan, Lonawala, Nagpur, Kopargaon and Sainagar.

Bipin Gandhi, president of the Rail Parishad, said they had sent a letter to the Railways proposing to take over the railway station and making it the best. “We have decided to pitch in for converting Nashik Road into a class station. We have a plan that will see the station not only very clean but also boast of all amenities required for commuters,” Gandhi said.

Asked if they had planned real estate development at Nashik Road, Gandhi said the current development of Nashik does not attract much of monetary benefits but the situation will be different if it is made a junction.

“So far, we have proposed small activities of real estate development for the commuters coming to Nashik Road, which will be akin to hotels or guest house in the station. Our attention, however, will be more on the East-side of the station. The Sinnar-side has huge scope for development,” he added.

The Rail Parishad had with the help of Rotary Club initiated a ‘clean Igatpuri station’ drive in 2003, when the Igatpuri Railway station would see cattle straying across the station and railway tracks. Often, food would be strewn all over station and the cleanliness index was at its lowest.

“We volunteered for the cleanliness of the station and after six months, the station was clean,” Gandhi said, adding that the Rail Parishad has also adopted C3 coach of Panchavati Express which follows principles of cleanliness and discipline.

Source:RailNews