PM lays foundation for revamp 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. These are among 508 stations across India which will be modernised under ‘Amrit Bharat Station Scheme’. The railway stations in Odisha which will be redeveloped are Sakhigopal, Mancheswar, Dhenkanal, Chhatrapur, Angul, Meramundali, Balugaon, Lingaraj Temple Road, Talcher Road, Khurda Road, Kantabanji, Bargarh Road, Hirakud, Rairakhol, Barpali, Muniguda, Balangir, Harishankar Road, Bhawanipatna, Khariar Road and Damanjodi under East Coast Railway and Barbil, Rajgangpur, Baripada and Jaleswar under South Eastern Railway.

The design of the station buildings will be inspired by local culture, heritage and architecture, the Prime Minister said.

State Science and Technology Minister Ashok Chandra Panda attended the function at 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 will be implemented in phases to improve amenities 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 and provision of ballastless tracks.