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Ludhiana railway station revamp: Hotels flouting norms in vicinity to be razed
Officials said hotels have been built at higher-than-permissible 16-ft height and the land on which the hotels outside the Ludhiana railway station were constructed belonged to the railways
With Indian Railways all set to start the construction of the new railway station in the city, an anti-encroachment drive to demolish the hotels constructed outside the station is likely to be initiated soon.
Officials said the hotels have been built at higher-than-permissible 16-feet height, adding that the land on which the hotels outside the main gate were constructed belonged to the railways.
“It was given on lease to the Ludhiana municipal corporation (MC) by the Railways and finally these hotels and shops came up. Though most of the shops were constructed within the permissible limit, most of the hotels outside the station gave much more height to the buildings. Those will have to be removed as per the plans of the new modern station,.” a senior railway official said.
An action committee will be formed to remove the encroached shops and hotels outside the station.
“We had a meeting with deputy commissioner Surabhi Malik recently. The issue was discussed in the meeting. She assured us an action plan for it soon. A meeting regarding the revamping plans will be held each month at the station as per directions of the DC”, the railway official said.
The said meeting on revamping the station was chaired by DC Malik last week and attended by other senior administrative and railways officials.
Separate route for public buses
The new model for the station will have separate routes for the public buses to pick and drop the passengers. Three-wheelers and cars will not be allowed to use the same route. Moreover, encroachment by rehris and food vendors which is prevalent outside the station will also be stopped.
The station, according to officials, will be completely demolished and the new building will have a covered roof.
Speaking about the debris that will arise from the demolition, a senior officer said the request for a dumping ground had already been raised with the DC.
“Under the Swachh Bharat project, a special plant to crush the debris will soon be installed near Ludhiana station by a private company. We may enter into a contract with the company to clear the debris from the station and moreover the company would also pay us in lieu of it. We have requested the DC to allot us a dumping ground”, an officer privy to the matter said.
Trains to ply per schedule
The construction work will not impact the train schedules and the railway traffic at the station will continue as usual.
Authorities also plan to remove and relocate the railway colonies located near the station. Under the new project, over 70 trees which are planted near the railway tracks will be axed, permission for which will be sought from the department concerned.
