ROURKELA: Rourkela and Jharsuguda junction railway stations under Chakradharpur Division of South Eastern Railway (SER) are set for major upgradation with modern amenities following their inclusion in ‘Amrit Bharat Station’ scheme.
Separate consultancy firms have been hired by SER for preparing master plans for the two stations. Draft proposals have been prepared following two rounds of presentations by the consultants. A team from Chakradharpur Division comprising divisional railway manager (DRM) Arun Jatoh Rathod, chief project manager (CPM) Rajiv Kumar, senior divisional commercial manager (SDCM) Manish Pathak and other senior officers on Thursday conducted a foot survey of Rourkela station and its adjoining areas to ensure necessary corrections and improvements in the master plan.
Manish Pathak said in-principle approval has already been received for a major revamp of Rourkela railway station’s main building, the introduction of modern passenger amenities, the development of circulating areas and the creation of well-planned parking areas. He said a new building would also come up on the newly-constructed second entrance on the northern end and a couple of new platforms added.
The project would require a lot of demolitions and new constructions and encroached land of the railways has also been included under the master plan. The consultant has been instructed to prepare three profiles of the master plan of which one would be finally approved by the SER headquarters and the MR Coordination Cell. Sources said, around `200-`300 crore would be spent on the renovation of the station.
At present, work is underway at Rourkela for the construction of the sixth platform, an end-to-end foot-over bridge while some escalators and lifts have also been introduced. Before FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup 2023 in January both entrances of the station were given a facelift on a war footing. For nearly two decades various political parties have been demanding the upgrading of the railway station and its periphery. On Saturday the high-level divisional team would visit Jharsuguda station.