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Indian Express
18-07-2025
- General
- Indian Express
Chandigarh railway station redevelopment lags behind, passengers grapple with poor hygiene, crowding
Over a year after work began on a ₹462 crore redevelopment plan, the Chandigarh railway station remains a site of passenger discomfort, plagued by overcrowding, poor hygiene, inadequate seating, and safety concerns — despite official claims of 75 per cent completion. Part of the Centre's Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, the project was launched in January 2023 with a May 2024 completion target. It includes two G+3 buildings, 30 lifts, 10 escalators, a 72×80 meter air concourse, enhanced parking, AC restaurants, a food plaza, dormitories, and upgraded retiring rooms. Yet, for many of the 36,000 passengers who pass through the station daily, little has changed. 'I can't use these toilets — they're so unhygienic that anyone could get a UTI,' said Kiran, a traveller to Amritsar. 'The smell and the state of cleanliness are unbearable. You're just forced to hold it in.' Toilets remain in disrepair, with a few cleaning staff visible. The station's waiting areas are overcrowded, forcing commuters to sit or sleep on the floor. 'There's nowhere to sit. It's so uncomfortable in this heat,' said Harpreet, en route to New Delhi. 'It feels like an overcrowded market, not a train station.' Platform 1 was shut for nearly a month in mid-2024 for roof repairs, but passengers say there is little visible improvement. 'It just looks patched up. Nothing seems new,' said one commuter. Other platforms still lack proper surface pavements, posing difficulties for elderly or differently abled passengers. Wasim Khan, the construction supervisor overseeing the redevelopment, acknowledged delays. 'We've made progress, but it's a huge project. Realistically, it will take four years,' he said. He added that work on the DigiRoom and new water supply systems is underway. Safety remains a major concern, especially for women. 'My daughter studies in Delhi, and I have to personally drop her because I don't feel it's safe,' said Harpreet. 'There's hardly any police or RPF at night. It just doesn't feel secure.' Minimal CCTV coverage, inconsistent power backups, and a lack of crowd management continue to add to commuter woes. While food stalls remain functional and well-managed, passengers say they are not enough to offset the lack of basic infrastructure. 'The food stalls are fine, but they don't make up for the filth, the lack of seating, or the fear at night,' said Kiran. Officials from the Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA) did not respond to questions about the project delays or safety lapses. Station authorities said they were not authorised to speak on the matter. As work continues in phases, passengers remain cautiously hopeful. 'Trains are rarely on time, and the station is a mess,' said Kiran. 'But if the new facilities ever get completed, I just hope they'll finally give us a station that's clean, safe, and functional.'
Hindustan Times
11-07-2025
- General
- Hindustan Times
Need Centre's green nod for Bijwasan rail work, Delhi dept tells NGT
Clearance from the central government needs to be sought for undertaking work on a 3.58-hectare forest patch, which is part of the Bijwasan Rail Terminal station project in Dwarka Sector 21, as it meets the criteria for a 'deemed' forest, the Delhi forest and wildlife department informed the National Green Tribunal (NGT). The NGT is hearing a fresh plea filed by resident Naveen Solanki. (Representative photo) The department stated that it conducted a fresh assessment using data from the Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA), the project proponent. To be sure, a "deemed" forest is not a notified or a reserve forest. In Delhi, any area exceeding 2.5 acres with more than 100 trees per acre is considered a "deemed" forest. Similarly, 1-km stretches of roads and drains with the same density are also considered 'deemed' forests. The concept came into existence following a Supreme Court order in the case of TN Godavarman in 1996. Locals have been fighting to save the green patch since 2022, having also launched the 'Save Dwarka Forest' campaign. The NGT is hearing a fresh plea filed by resident Naveen Solanki, who is part of this campaign. In May, Solanki approached the tribunal alleging illegal and large-scale deforestation of a "deemed" forest for the redevelopment of the Bijwasan railway station. The plea also claimed that of the total project area of 272 acres (110 hectares), 95 acres (38.4 hectares) are "deemed" forest. The plea sought that the project be halted. In its response on July 8, the deputy conservator of forest (DCF), west division, said an initial exercise to determine the land as a deemed forest was carried out between January 3 and 5, with 50.79 hectares, across three patches and having a total of 19,387 trees, identified. In the first patch, 5,494 trees were found spread over 14.5 hectares. In the second patch, 6,083 trees were found spread over 16.9 hectares, and in the third patch, 7,810 trees were found spread over 19.39 hectares. 'It is submitted that following the January 2025 findings, RLDA submitted a representation to the DCF West, suggesting some areas might not conform to the status of deemed forest. To address these concerns and precisely identify the deemed forest area based on the KML provided by the user agency, a further analysis was conducted...' said the submission, elaborating that based on this, 3.58 hectares were meeting the "deemed" forest criteria. The project, which is a redevelopment of the Bijwasan railway station, will see an airport-style makeover. It includes a new terminal building across 30,400 square metres (sqm), an air concourse across 12,500sqm and a circulating road network of 123,500sqm. The new Bijwasan railway station will also have eight platforms, up from two platforms at present. While the project was initially awarded to the Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation (IRSDC) in 2016, the government body was shut last October, following which the RLDA took it over. The forest department also said the process seeking permission for the 3.58 hectares had already started under the Forest Conservation Act, 1980. 'It is further submitted that the user agency has applied for diversion of "deemed" forest at Parivesh portal under Van Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan Adhiniyam, 1980 (Forest Conservation Act) and the same is under scrutiny...' it said. Last February, the NGT observed that the land on which the RLDA is building the Bijwasan Rail Terminal station, is neither a protected forest, nor a "deemed" forest, dismissing a plea alleging trees had been felled in a protected forest. Allowing the project to proceed, the tribunal, however, asked the project proponent to ensure any further felling of trees is done by seeking permission from Delhi's forest and wildlife department. RLDA was fined ₹5.93 crore by Delhi's state forest department in 2022, after it found around 990 trees were felled at the site of the station, without prior permission.
Time of India
25-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
BMC auctions south Mumbai market plot for 13% less than Rs 428cr base price
Mumbai: BMC has issued a letter of acceptance (LOA) to AAV Developers LLP, which bid 13% less than the base value of Rs 428 crore, for a 8,116 sq m plot housing Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Market near Crawford Market in south Mumbai for a 30-year lease period. Accepting the Rs 369-crore bid, BMC has asked AAV Developers to leave space for a staircase, lift and escalators for a foot over-bridge (FOB) that railways plan to build to connect the east-west of CSMT station and access to long-distance nodes from Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Mandai. According to the LOA, AAV Developers and Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA) will have to sign an agreement and make a pro-rata payment for the space allotted to them. RLDA will have to pay for the FOB landing space though the chief secretary had earlier instructed BMC to not charge any land cost. The civic body maintained that handing over space for free is not in consonance with the BMC Act. In Oct 2024, BMC decided to auction 3 of its plots in the island city, including the one at Crawford Market, for a 30-year lease period with a provision of renewal for another 30 years in a bid to generate revenue as its liabilities crossed Rs 2 lakh crore owing to its infrastructure projects. You Can Also Check: Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai The decision to auction the Crawford Market plot, which houses a fish market and is also reserved for a municipal office and disaster management facilities, and to give LOA to a developer who bid below the base value has come under criticism. "This land has been reserved for a municipal office, municipal chowky, and for disaster management facilities," said former IPS officer-lawyer Y P Singh. "It is not possible to delete these reservations because they are public facilities created by due process of law. Further, the deletion requires public hearing and the outcome whether the reservations can be deleted or modified or not deleted, is still uncertain... It is also a settled position in law that the questions of 'Inter-Generational Equity', also have to be considered." Activist Santosh Daundkar said BMC should allot whatever land railways require and build a public parking lot in the remaining space and allow fisherfolk to continue their trade. "It is widely believed that the plot is being allotted due to pressure from the top," he claimed. But BMC chief Bhushan Gagrani cited the two previous attempts and the railways seeking the right of way for going ahead with the auction. This time, BMC received only two bids — Rs 369 crore from AAV Developers and Rs 330 crore from Saroj Landmark Realty. "There are issues with the plot including reservation, which state has to delete, and the shifting of the fish market. It is not conducive for commercial exploitation. We had no option but to go ahead by accepting the highest bid," said a BMC official. But another official said: "BMC could have cancelled the process or sought fresh bids."
Hindustan Times
25-06-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
October 2025: New deadline for Chandigarh Railway Station revamp
After missing two previous deadlines, the redevelopment of Chandigarh railway station is now slated for completion by October 2025. The revised timeline was discussed during a review meeting held on Tuesday, chaired by Union minister of state for railways Ravneet Singh Bittu. The upgraded Chandigarh railway station is designed to cater to a projected daily footfall of over 1 lakh passengers by 2061. (HT Photo) In the meeting, minister Bittu instructed officials to speed up the pending work and minimise the inconvenience caused to the public during rush hours. Around 81% of the redevelopment work is complete, and the Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA) aims to finish the ₹ 462 crore project by October 2025. The redevelopment work, which began in January 2023, missed its first completion deadline in May 2024 and another in May 2025. No clear reason has been provided by the RLDA for the continued delays. Due to the ongoing project, passengers have been facing many problems, including the lack of escalators, lifts, and ramps, as well as having to walk on uneven surfaces and walk an extra 100 metres because of pick-and-drop charges. During rush hours in the afternoon, a chaotic traffic situation is seen at the station, which has a daily footfall of over 37,000 passengers. The redevelopment project of Chandigarh railway station is being executed by the RLDA under the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) model. The project aims to transform the station into a modern, world-class multimodal transit hub serving the Chandigarh Tricity region. The total development area of the station is 1,92,248 sq metre, with a built-up area of 27,383 sq metre. Expanded parking, lifts, escalators and much more There will be new G+3 station buildings on both Chandigarh and Panchkula sides, each covering an area of 8,367 sq metre, aimed at improving accessibility and passenger movement. A covered concourse of 72m wide and 80m long will connect the station buildings and provide weather-protected transit across platforms. Another two 12m wide foot over bridges will also be constructed for inter-platform movement. The parking will be expanded on both sides with an area of 24,515 sq metre with integrated traffic flow designs for both city sides. The station will have 30 lifts and 10 escalators for barrier-free movement. Enhanced waiting areas i.e. 1,180 sq metre concourse with 1,050 seats, food courts, retail spaces, retiring rooms, co-working spaces, paid lounges and other commuter-focused amenities. There will be a 4,000+ sq metre of commercial area, including kiosks, food outlets, and shopping spaces. The upgraded Chandigarh railway station is designed to cater to a projected daily footfall of over 1 lakh passengers by 2061. Among the key attendees included Manoj Garg (vice chairman, RLDA), Sanjeev Garg (principal executive director, Gati Shakti/Railway Board), Dhananjaya Singh (executive director, MoSR), Sanjay Srivastava (chief project director, Northern Railway), Tarun Kumar Goyal (member, planning, RLDA), Balbir Singh (chief project manager, RLDA Chandigarh), and MS Negi (director, Railway Board), among others.
Time of India
23-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Corpn can't tax railway property: HC
Madurai: Article 285(1) of the Constitution indicates that the property of the Union shall be exempt from all taxes imposed by a state, even if it is put to commercial use, observed Madras high court . The court set aside a single bench order dismissing a plea moved by Madurai Multi Functional Complex Private Limited challenging the demand notice issued by Madurai corporation seeking payment of property tax. The land in Madurai belongs to railways. To develop vacant land parcels owned by railways, The Railways Act, 1989, was amended and Railway Land Development Authority (RLDA) was constituted. In 2013, RLDA and Ircon Infrastructure and Services Limited entered into an agreement for development of railway land throughout India. Subsequently, Ircon entered into a sub-lease agreement for 30 years with Madurai Multi Functional Complex Private Limited concerning the property in Madurai. The Multi Functional Complex was constructed by Ircon on a 2,700 sq metre plot within Madurai railway station premises. Madurai corporation assessed the building for property tax and issued a demand notice in 2018, calling upon Madurai Multi Functional Complex Private Limited to pay half-yearly tax of Rs 10,07,623. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 오스템 임플란트 받아가세요 임플란터 더 알아보기 Undo Though a petition was filed challenging the demand notice, it was dismissed by the single judge. Therefore, Madurai Multi Functional Complex Private Limited (appellant) preferred the present appeal in 2020. A division bench of Justice G R Swaminathan and Justice M Jothiraman observed that the plain language of Article 285(1) of the Constitution indicates that the property of the Union shall be exempt from all taxes imposed by a state or by any authority within a state. "Article 285(1) stands as an iron dome which cannot be breached. Property of the Union of all kinds and hues can take shelter within it," the judges observed. The judges noted that RLDA is an alter-ego of the railways which cannot hold properties in its name. "Therefore, we hold that the petition mentioned building belongs to railways. The title over the building vests with the railways," they said. Hence, the judges held that the levy of property tax over the appellant-building would fall foul of Article 285(1) of the Constitution and set aside the order of the single bench. However, the judges made it clear that since the appellant is enjoying certain facilities offered by the Madurai corporation, it is open to the corporation to enter into a special agreement with the appellant to enable the petitioner to continue to enjoy those facilities. Since the appellant-building forms a class by itself, it is open to the corporation to charge a higher drainage tax. The corporation will issue notice to the appellant and other occupiers of the building to come for negotiation and enter into an appropriate agreement in this regard, the judges observed.
