Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who laid the foundation stone for the redevelopment of 508 railway stations across the country via video conferencing on Sunday, targeted opposition saying they believe in 'na kaam karenge, na karne denge' (will neither work nor will allow).
"...Unfortunately, a faction of the Opposition in our country is following the old ways even today. They will neither do anything by themselves nor let anyone else do anything...The country built a modern Parliament building. Parliament is the symbol of the country's democracy. It has representation from the Ruling side as well as the Opposition. But this faction of the Opposition opposed the new Parliament building. We redeveloped Kartavya Path but they opposed that too. For 70 years, they didn't even build a war memorial for the Bravehearts of the country. When we built National War Memorial, they felt no shame in criticising it publically. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's Statue of Unity is the tallest building in the world. Every Indian is proud of it. But none of the big leaders of a few political parties ever visited the Statue...But rising above negative politics, we are going ahead on the path of positive politics as a mission," he said.
They were not ashamed while creating obstructions in the construction of a war memorial and the new parliament building,the PM asserted.
"Today, the focus of the entire world is on India. India's prestige, on a global scale, has increased. World's attitude towards India has changed. There are two main reasons behind this - 1) Indians brought in a full majority government after almost 30 years, 2) The full majority government took major decisions and continuously worked for a permanent solution to the challenges," he added.
Here's the full list of stations to be redeveloped:
- 55 in Uttar Pradesh
- 55 in Rajasthan
- 49 in Bihar
- 44 in Maharashtra
- 37 in West Bengal
- 34 in Madhya Pradesh
- 32 in Assam
- 25 in Odisha
- 22 in Punjab
- 21 in Gujarat
- 21 in Telangana
- 20 in Jharkhand
- 18 in Andhra Pradesh
- 18 in Tamil Nadu
- 15 in Haryana
- 13 in Karnataka
These also include stations in the northeast such as Assam's Bongaigaon, Kokrajhar, Lumding, Meghalaya's Mendipathar, among others. Bihar's Muzaffarpur, Bapudham Motihari, as well as Shornur and Kasargod in Kerala are also in the list.
What is the cost of redevelopment project?
The redevelopment project, which will cost Rs 24,470 crore, will install modern passenger amenities apart from ensuring a well-designed traffic circulation, inter-modal integration and well-designed signage for the guidance of passengers, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said, adding the design of station buildings will be inspired by local culture, heritage and architecture.
Noting that prime minister has always said the railways is the preferred mode of transportation for people, the PMO underlines that he has prioritised the importance of providing world-class amenities at railway stations.
Guided by this vision, the 'Amrit Bharat Station Scheme' was launched to redevelop 1,309 stations, it said. As part of this scheme, the foundation stone for redevelopment of 508 stations is being laid by the prime minister.
"These stations will be redeveloped at a cost of more than Rs 24,470 crore. Master Plans are being prepared for development of these stations as 'City Centres', with proper integration of both sides of the city. This integrated approach is driven by the holistic vision of overall urban development of the city, centred around the railway station," the PMO said.
(With agencies inputs)
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