A total of 16 railway stations of the Pune division will be redeveloped under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme (ABSS) at an estimated Rs 300 crore. There are 508 railway stations listed under this scheme all over India to be developed at a cost of Rs 24,470 crore.
This scheme will function in three phases, wherein Talegaon, Akurdi and Kolhapur of Pune Division are under the first phase. Work for the first phase will be done by March- April next year, as per an official.
Divisional Railway Manager, Indu Dubey, said in an August 4 press conference, that upgradation of all the listed railway stations will be inspired by local cultural heritage. Facilities like foot over bridge, lifts, escalators and so on will be built under this scheme.
The redevelopment will provide modern amenities and ensure well-designed traffic circulation, inter-modal integration and well-designed signage to guide passengers. The construction agency assigned to work on this plan is the Gati Shakti Unit.
On August 6, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the stone foundation for the initial stage of the ABSS scheme through a virtual meeting, after which he will give a speech at 11 am via video conferencing.
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“The best thing is to bring public participation into the development of Indian Railways. We have asked passengers to provide suggestions. The project aims at improving the customer’s experience. We invite locals and renowned personalities of those areas to provide suggestions for redevelopment,” Dubey said.
Citizens can send suggestions on how to improve stations at drmpune@gmail.com on August 15 or before. She added that an essay and painting contest was held in nine schools at these three locations of Pune Division. Winners will be awarded by dignitaries invited to the event.
Additionally, Hathkanangale, Sangli, Karad, Satara, Wathar, Lonand, Dehu Road, Chinchwad, Hadapsar, Uruli, Kedgaon, Baramati, and Phaltan have also been included in the ABSS scheme.