Kannur: The maintenance and development of 15 railway stations in Kerala under the Amrit Bharat project will be completed by January next year. Out of the 1309 railway stations in India, the renovation is progressing rapidly in 508 stations. In Kerala, 30 stations in two divisions come under the project. A mega development project worth Rs 249 crore is being carried out in the 16 stations in the Palakkad division. Meanwhile, the works at 15 stations, except Kannur, will be completed by January. The work at nine stations is almost completed by eighty per cent. The highest amount of funds was allotted to Kannur – Rs 31.23 crore. But, the renovation works here haven’t started yet as Kannur was a last-minute addition to the project.
Besides station development, commercial complexes would be built as part of the project. With 22 stations, the Western Railway zone, which includes Mumbai, has the most stations being renovated under the Amrit Bharat project. Meanwhile, the Northern Railway, including Delhi, has 21 stations and 17 in the Southern zone. Seven stations in Kerala will be developed under this project. Thiruvananthapuram was allotted Rs 497 crore, followed by Kozhikode (Rs 472.96 crore), Ernakulam Junction (Rs 444.63 crore), Kollam (Rs 384.39 crore), Ernakulam Town (Rs 226 crore) and Varkala (Rs 133 crore).
What is Amrit Bharat?
The project aims to renovate and develop railway stations across India on a low budget. Redundant or unused buildings would be transferred to different locations, while overhead bridges, escalators, lifts, parking areas, platforms, and rest areas would be developed. This project has also included introducing modern announcement systems, renovating waiting rooms, installing CCTV, and providing Wi-Fi facilities.
Amrit stations in Kerala
Vadakkancherry, Guruvayur, Alappuzha, Thiruvalla, Chirayinkeezhu, Ettumanoor, Kayamkulam, Tripunithura, Chalakkudi, Angamaly, Changanassery, Neyyattinkara, Mavelikkara, Shorannur, Thalassery, Kuttipuram, Ottappalam, Tirur, Vadakara, Payyannur, Nilambur Road, Kannur, Kasargod, Mahe, Parappanangadi, Feroke and Angadippuram.