By IANS
New Delhi : New Delhi Railway Station is poised to become a world-class facility – with hotels, motels and other facilities – ahead of the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
A committee chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Friday evening approved a proposal by Railway Minister Lalu Prasad to turn the station into an ultra modern one.
The proposed changes will be brought about through public-private partnership and could cost more than Rs.50 billion, said Lalu Prasad outside the prime minister's 7, Race Course Road residence after the meeting.
He said: "I have been abroad and seen railway stations all over the world. There is no congestion, no bustling and jostling, no climbing the stairs by the people and hotels, motels, shops and vendors – all facilities, everything is available at the railway station. That is what I want here, that is what our people deserve and will get."
The committee also set up another panel under the cabinet secretary to coordinate between the railways and various other Delhi civic bodies like the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to expedite work on the New Delhi station.
Six parties have already evinced interest in the design of the project. Apart from state-owned RITES India, the other five, including three from Hong Kong are all foreign companies, railway officials said.
These are, Terry Farrell partners, Hong Kong; Von Grehan Partners, International, Germany; Arep Ville, France; HOK Smith Limited HK and Aedas Limited, Hong Kong.
The committee also decided to set up an inter-ministerial group under the Railway Board chairman for finalising a Model Concession Agreement in which secretaries of the Planning Commission, the Department of Economic Affairs, the Department of Urban Development and the Department of Legal Affairs would be members.
This group is to submit the Model Concession Agreement by Oct 31, a Planning Commission officer said.
In addition to New Delhi, the committee also approved turning 20 other railway stations into world-class facilities on the same pattern. These are Agra, Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Anand Vihar, Bangalore, Bhopal, Bhubhaneshwar, Bijwasan, Chandigarh, Chennai, Bombay VT, Howrah, Jaipur, Lucknow, Mathura, Patna, Pune, Secundrabad, Thiruvananthapuram and Varanasi.
This could cost Rs.3 trillion, of which the government may not be asked to invest much, the minister said.