NE BUSINESS BUREAU
CHENNAI, FEB 22
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to lay the foundation stone for 554 Amrit Bharat stations, including 44 in Southern Railway on February 26. These stations aim to enhance facilities by developing rooftop plazas and city centers, with an allocated budget of Rs 40,000 crore.
The Prime Minister will also lay the foundation stone for approximately 1,500 road overbridges and underbridges across various states during a virtual event that will be broadcasted at over 2,000 railway stations. Southern Railway officials stated on Thursday that the Prime Minister will participate in the event via video conferencing.
To mark this grand event, Southern Railway held competitions which saw the participation of over 28,000 school students participate in various competitions from across 232 schools in Southern Railway jurisdiction.
Ceremonial functions in Southern Railway
In Southern Railway, 44 Amrit Bharat Stations will have their foundation stones laid, and 193 ROBs/RUBs will have their foundation stones laid or dedicated. As part of this grand event, Southern Railway will organize ceremonial functions at 231 locations/railway stations across the zone on Monday, February 26, 2024.
School Student Competitions
On the run up to this grand occasion, several educational institutions have joined the Railways’ initiatives. Essay, Drawing, and Elocution competitions were held among students in 232 schools across the zone. A total of 28,051 school students participated, and 2082 emerged victorious.
These competitions were held at 109 locations in Southern Railway, including major railway stations in Southern Railway such as Chennai Beach, Chennai Park, Ambattur, St. Thomas Mount, Guindy, Mambalam, Mettupalayam, Coimbatore North, Erode, Morappur, Dindigul, Tuticorin, Tiruchendur, Mayiladuturai, Kumbakonam, Vriddhachalam, Chengannur, Thrissur, Guruvayur, Ottapalam, Nilambur Road and Kannur. The students participated with great enthusiasm and showcased their skills.
The competition theme was “2047 – Vikasit Bharat aur Vikasit Railway” (“2047 – Developed India and Developed Railways”). This provided an opportunity for students, the budding youth, to express their hopes and vision for their nation and its lifeline, the Indian Railways. Their enthusiasm, creativity, and insightful perspectives offer a glimpse into the aspirations of the next generation and serve as a valuable reminder of the importance of continued investment in infrastructure development for a brighter future.
During the event, prizes will also be distributed to school students who took part in speech, essay, and poetry writing contests.
Amrit Bharat Station Scheme
The Amrit Bharat Station Scheme has been launched for the development of Railway stations on Indian Railways. Presently, the scheme envisages to take-up 1275 stations for upgradation and modernisation over the Indian Railway.
It involves the preparation of master plans and their implementation in phases to improve the amenities at the stations like improvement of station access, circulating areas, waiting halls, toilets, lift/escalators as necessary, cleanliness, free Wi-Fi, kiosks for local products through schemes like ‘One Station One Product’, better passenger information systems, Executive Lounges, nominated spaces for business meetings, landscaping and others keeping in view the necessity at each station.
The scheme also envisages improvement of buildings, integrating station with both sides of the city, multimodal integration, amenities for Divyangjans, sustainable and environment-friendly solutions, provision of ballastless tracks, ‘Roof Plazas’ as per necessity, phasing and feasibility and creation of city centres at the station in the long term.
To ensure smooth access, it also proposes widening of roads, removal of unwanted structures, properly designed signages, dedicated pedestrian pathways, well-planned parking areas and improved lighting.
The scheme envisages high-level platforms (760-840 millimetres) at all categories of stations. According to the scheme, the length of the platforms shall generally be 600 metres.
So far, 1,318 stations have been selected under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme based on proposals received from zonal railways and stations located in major cities and towns.
