Tag Archives: redevelopment

Mata Vaishno Devi Station to Get an Upgrade

 

The redevelopment of stations in Jammu and Kashmir, including the Mata Vaishno Devi station, will prioritise environmentally sustainable and accessible facilities for Divyang individuals.

PM Narendra Modi recently initiated the redevelopment of the Mata Vaishno Devi railway station in Katra city, Jammu, under the Amrit Bharat Station scheme. This project, estimated at INR 40 crore, aims to upgrade existing amenities and introduce new services for passengers.

In addition to the Katra station, three other stations – Udhampur, Jammu, and Budgam – will undergo redevelopment as part of the Amrit stations initiative, with three of these stations located in the Jammu region. Highlighting that Mata Vaishno Devi station was among the first to introduce the Vande Bharat train and the first in India to unveil a solar power facility, Union Minister Jitendra Singh emphasised the significance of this development.

The redeveloped stations in Jammu and Kashmir, including Mata Vaishno Devi station, will feature eco-friendly and accessible facilities for Divyang individuals. The station buildings will be designed to reflect local culture, heritage, and architecture. The Katra station is envisioned to become an intermodal hub integrating rail, road, and air travel seamlessly.

Furthermore, PM Modi inaugurated 1,500 road overbridges and underpasses across various states and Union territories to enhance safety, connectivity, and efficiency in rail travel. These infrastructure projects are expected to cost around INR crore and will play a crucial role in improving travel conditions nationwide.

Modi lays foundation stone for redevelopment of 508 railways stations across India

Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday laid the foundation stone for redevelopment of 508 railway stations across the country via video conferencing.

These 508 stations are spread across 27 states and union territories, including 55 each in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, 49 in Bihar, 44 in Maharashtra, 37 in West Bengal, 34 in Madhya Pradesh, 32 in Assam, 25 in Odisha, 22 in Punjab, 21 each in Gujarat and Telangana, 20 in Jharkhand, 18 each in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, according to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). Besides 15 stations are in Haryana and 13 in Karnataka.

The redevelopment, which will cost INR 24,470 crore, will provide modern passenger amenities along with ensuring well-designed traffic circulation, inter-modal integration and well-designed signage for guidance of passengers, the PMO had said in a statement, adding that the design of station buildings will be inspired by local culture, heritage, and architecture.

Noting that PM Modi has often laid stress on provision of state-of-the-art public transport and that railways is the preferred mode of transport of people, the PMO had said he has prioritised the importance of providing world-class amenities at railway stations.
Guided by this vision, the ‘Amrit Bharat Station Scheme’ was launched to redevelop 1,309 stations, it said.

As part of this scheme, the foundation stone for redevelopment of 508 stations was laid by the Prime Minister.

Over 40 Tourist Spots Identified in Ayodhya

According to a report in The Economic Times, besides the much talked about Ram temple, over 40 tourist spots have been identified and proposed in Ayodhya under a master plan and the projected visitor footfall is of 3 lakh people per day by 2051, Dikshu C Kukreja, managing principal, at CP Kukreja Architects, said. CP Kukreja Architects, Canada based Lea Associates and L&T were selected to chalk out a master blueprint plan for Ayodhya two years ago. CP Kukreja Architects handed over the master plan in January last year. The company said it is engaged in consultation with the Ayodhya Development Authority for the implementation of the phase wise development of the masterplan. “More than 40 tourism spots have been identified and are being developed under the plan and the work for them will be carried out in phases,” he said.

Kukreja said the redevelopment will involve the inclusion of various public amenities, street furniture and the broadening and ‘pedestrianisation’ of roads along with the redevelopment of the Sarayu Riverfront. “A tourism facilitation centre with 115 keys and six Dharamshalas that can accommodate 7200 beds have been proposed a long with international museums that highlight the city’s rich cultural heritage,” he said.

“The proposed accommodation options would be centrally placed amongst various prominent tourism nodes. Since the areas are being developed to be vehicle free, the touri sm nodes will be at a walking distance from the Dharamshalas and the tourism facilitation centre,” he added. Kukreja said the firm has focused on the heritage assets of the city and has retrofitted and redeveloped them along with the core city areas with temples. “A similar design language has been incorporated into the redevelopment while using sustainable building practices, taking inspiration from the temple architectural heritage of the city,” he added.

Kukreja said it’s important to retain the character of the destination. “Imagine a tourist coming from Kanyakumari to Ayodhya. They wouldn’t want to see metro lines. That’s not the character they are looking for. They should be spread out. As planners, it was important to understand the cultural significance of the destination and equip it to be a self -sufficient and a welcoming city. We did not want to create the Taj Mahal kind of an experience as that can be chaotic in terms of traffic and transport. Ayodhya can be a world class city, and by that I don’t mean a cyber city I mean a city that celebrates its significance and gives people lifelong experiences. We also have to ensure that the lives of the residents of Ayodhya remain comfortable,” he added.