Lok Sabha members on Friday demanded a separate fund dedicated to modernisation of railway stations under the Adarsh Station Scheme.
Initiating a discussion on a statutory resolution on beautification and modernisation of railway stations under the Adarsh Station Scheme, YSR Congress member Reddeppa Nallakonda Gari said the area around smaller railway stations has become congested due to haphazard development. He said various schemes, including Model, Modern and Adarsh Station Scheme, have been formulated for the purpose in the last two decades and the priority has been on improving passenger amenities at select A1 and A category stations only.
He said the Centre should ensure modernisation and upgrading of all remaining railway stations in the country. Gari demanded creation of a separate fund for modernisation of railway stations with the option of carrying forward the unutilised amount the following year. He urged the government to identify railway stations for upgrade depending on footfall, and whether they are pilgrim or tourism centres.
Participating in the discussion, Thomas Chazhikadan (Kerala Congress-M) urged the Centre to speed up redevelopment of the second entry building of the Kottayam Railway Station. Congress member Jasbir Singh Gill wanted the railways to commercially exploit its land bank to provide better amenities to the people.
Mukesh Rajput (BJP), who represents Farrukhabad in Uttar Pradesh, demanded that the Railways undertake uniform development of all railway stations. Sangamlal Gupta urged the Centre to clear railway stations of encroachments.
