PM Modi to lay foundation for 21 railway stations in Telangana

HYDERABAD: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone for 21 railway stations in Telangana on Sunday under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme on August 6. This is part of a nation-wide initiative in which Modi will lay the foundation stone for the redevelopment of 508 railway stations costing ₹2,079.29 crore across the country via video conferencing.

Six stations will be developed in the Telangana capital: Hyderabad, Hafizpet, Hitec City, Uppuguda, Malakpet and Malkajgiri. The railways will spend ₹894.09 crore in Telangana on the project.

In the South Central Railway zone, 50 railway stations spread over four states will be redeveloped; 36 railway stations from the Telugu-speaking states will benefit.

The scheme aims to redevelop railway stations with state-of-the-art facilities. The stations will be equipped with passenger amenities including smooth access, improved lighting, better circulating areas, upgraded parking and divyangjan-friendly infrastructure. They will also be environmentally friendly, using green energy.

Arun Kumar Jain, general manager of South Central Railway, said that the Amrit Bharat stations will provide a new experience to rail users. He said that the stations will be developed with modern architecture and world-class facilities, and will serve as city centres. The development of the stations is being taken up under priority and each stage of the execution will be meticulously monitored for timely completion.

Other states to benefit are UP and Rajasthan (55 each),Bihar (49), Maharashtra (44), West Bengal (37), Madhya Pradesh (34), Assam (32), Odisha (25), Punjab (22), Gujarat (21), Jharkhand (20), Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu (18 each), Haryana (15) and Karnataka 13. The scheme was launched to redevelop 1,309 stations in all.