ALL SMILES!
LUCKNOW: Union home minister Rajnath Singh, along with railway minister Piyush Goel, on Sunday laid the foundation stone for a project for the renovation of Gomti Nagar and Charbagh railway stations.
The redevelopment of these stations would be carried out in phases and the estimated cost of phase 1 is approximately ₹374 crore and ₹1,206 crore for Gomti Nagar and Charbagh respectively, said Goel at the railway stadium here.
The project is being executed by the National Building and Construction Corporation (NBCC, India) Ltd, a Navratna CPSE under the ministry of housing and urban affairs (MoHUA). The NBCC has been entrusted with the redevelopment of 10 railway stations across India.
The project includes features like integrated green field development, modern terminal building, segregated arrival and departure zone, lounge areas, food courts, budget hotels, escalators, etc, said Rajnath Singh
Piyush Goel said it’s for the first time after independence UP got such attention in the railway budget.
“The UPA government gave just ₹1,100 crore to UP in five years while we have given around ₹26,390 crore to the state for railway projects. This year too, we have given ₹7,865 crore for various projects,” said Goel.
He said the Railways would soon recruit 90,000 staff and 9,000 posts would be advertised for RPF soon. Half of these posts in RPF would be for women, added the minister.
He said, “No government has
thought about Bundelkhand while planning. But now we will set up a coach refurbishment unit in Bundelkhand and set up a locomotive shed in Gorakhpur.”
Goel said not even a single coach was manufactured in the Rail Coach Factory of Rae Bareli till 2014, but when the NDA government came, it started production. “Today, the unit is producing 700 coaches per year. Soon it would be the most advanced rail coach factory in the world. By 2020, the factory would be producing 3,000 coaches per year,” he said.