E-Paper
Gandhi-Nehru Park atLucknow’s Charbagh stn poised for a facelift
The park holds historical significance, as Mahatma Gandhi and Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru had met here for the first time in 1916, during the freedom struggle.
LUCKNOW: The Gandhi-Nehru Park, a small but historically significant park on the premises of Charbagh railway station is all set for a facelift, courtesy the Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA) that aims to cover the park under its ₹560 crore prestigious modernisation plan of development and beautification of Charbagh railway station and Lucknow Junction.
The project is expected to take off by the end of this year.
RLDA officials said they also had special plans for the development of this small piece of history (Gandhi-Nehru Park) that was a reminder of the freedom movement. “Under the project, the park would be developed in a special way so that its significance remains intact,” a senior RLDA official said. As per the blueprint of the project, the official said the park’s development would be carried out in two phases. The first phase would comprise landscaping and other infrastructure work while the second phase would include illumination and beautification.
The historians gave the thumbs up to the project, which they said would preserve an important chapter of history. According to Roshan Taqui, a city-based historian, on December 26, 1916, a 27-year-old man arrived at Lucknow railway station from Allahabad and met another 47-year-old man for the first time in front of Charbagh station. The young man was Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru and the older one was Mohan Das Karam Chand Gandhi. “Why this place is significant is because it was here the two great personalities met for the first time during the freedom movement,” the historian said.
RLDA officials said the entire project would be based on PPP model. “Three companies have shown interest. The papers are being scrutinised after which the work would be awarded,” the official said.
Jagtosh Shukla, senior divisional commercial manager (DCM), NR said the project was expected to take off soon. “The entire modernisation project will be carried out in two phases. The first phase would be completed by 2025 whereas the second phase will take another two years,” he said.
