PM lays foundation stone for redevelopment of 25 railway stations in Odisha

Bhubaneswar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday laid the foundation stone through virtual mode for redevelopment of 25 railway stations in Odisha, which are among 508 such stations across India that will be modernised under the 'Amrit Bharat Station Scheme'.

The 25 railway stations under East Coast Railways in Odisha which will be redeveloped with a sum of Rs 547.7 crore are Sakhigopal, Mancheswar, Dhenkanal, Chhatrapur, Angul, Palasa, Meramandali, Balugaon, Lingaraj Temple Road, Talcher Road, Khurda Road, Kantabanji, Bargarh Road, Hirakud, Rairakhol, Barpali, Muniguda, Balangir.

The design of the station buildings will be inspired by local culture, heritage and architecture, the prime minister said while laying the foundation stone.

Of the 25 stations in Odisha, 11 were located under Khurda Road Division. The work of redevelopment of the stations will be completed within 18 months.

Odisha's Minister for Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Public Enterprises, Science & Technology Ashok Chandra Panda attended the function at the Lingaraj Temple Road railway station, which will be redeveloped with an investment of Rs 19 crore.

Bhubaneswar MP Aparajita Sarangi and Bhubaneswar-North MLA Susant Kumar Rout were present at Mancheswar railway station on which Rs 26 crore will be spent for redevelopment.

Under the scheme, master plans to be prepared which will be implemented in phases to improve the amenities at stations like improvement of station access, circulating areas, waiting halls, toilets, lift/escalators as necessary, local products through schemes like 'One Station One Product', better passenger information systems, executive lounges, nominated spaces for business meetings, landscaping and other facilities keeping in view the requirement of each station.

This apart, the redevelopment plan also includes improvement of the station building, integrating the station with both sides of the city, multi-modal integration, amenities for the disabled, sustainable and environment-friendly solutions, provision of ballast less tracks.