37 railway stations in West Bengal to be redeveloped, to cost Rs 1,503 crore
Kolkata (PTI): Thirty-seven railway stations in West Bengal will be redeveloped as part of the 'Amrit Bharat Station Scheme' at a cost of Rs 1,503 crore, officials said.
These are among the 508 stations in 27 states, the foundation stone for the redevelopment of which will be laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday.
Among the stations in West Bengal are Sealdah, Malda Town, Bolpur, Barddhaman Junction, New Alipurduar, New Mal Junction, Tarakeswar and Rampurhat Junction, officials said.
The redevelopment of the 37 stations in the state will cost Rs 1,503 crore, while the total project cost is Rs 24,470 crore, they said.
The redevelopment project 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.
The 'Amrit Bharat Station Scheme' was launched to redevelop 1,309 stations. 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.
Launched in December 2022, the Amrit Bharat station scheme aims to prepare a masterplan for railway stations and implement it in a phased manner to enhance facilities.
The facilities intended to be developed at the stations include foot-overbridges, escalators and elevators, two-wheeler and car parking areas, landscaping/horticulture, integrated passenger information system, signages, improvement of platforms and platform shelters, benches and washbasins, better illumination and power supply arrangements, and CCTV, among others.
The scheme envisages development of stations on a continuous basis with a long-term approach.
The stations are slated to have upgraded amenities such as improved access, circulating areas, waiting halls, toilets, lift/escalators as necessary, free Wi-Fi, kiosks for local products through schemes such as 'One Station One Product'.
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Punjab: 16 private schools in Mohali receive bomb threat emails
Chandigarh (PTI): Sixteen private schools in Punjab's Mohali received bomb threat emails on Wednesday, triggering evacuation and prompting detailed anti-sabotage checks by police, an officer said.
No suspicious or explosive material was discovered at any of the locations after thorough inspections, the officer said.
School authorities sent messages to parents, declaring a holiday. Students on their way to school were sent back home, they said.
Manav Mangal School, Shivalik Public School, and Learning Paths School were among the schools which received the bomb threat emails.
The police said they swung into action after school authorities reported receiving the emails between 7.30 am and 8 am.
Security was mounted at the targeted schools, and intensive searches were carried out, they said.
"The police teams led by superintendents of police, deputy superintendents of police and other officials were rushed to the schools along with anti-sabotage teams and bomb disposal squads," Mohali Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Harmandeep Singh Hans told reporters.
Around 300 policemen were involved in the search operation, and all targeted schools were evacuated, he said.
The checking of all schools was completed within about two-and-a-half hours with the support of additional force and specialised teams from neighbouring districts of Fatehgarh Sahib, Rupnagar, and Chandigarh headquarters, Hans said.
"No explosive material was found at any of the locations," he added.
The search operations were supervised by SP City Dilpreet Singh, along with SPs Navneet Singh Mahal, Mohit Aggarwal, Sukhnaz Singh, Ramandeep Singh and Talwinder Singh Gill; DSP City-1 Prithvi Singh Chahal, DSP City-2 Harsimran Singh Bal and all station house officers.
Schools covered during the search included Amity School, Doon School, Learning Paths, Gurukul School, Vivek High School, Paragon School, YPS School, Lawrence School, and Gem Public School.
An FIR is being lodged, and the case has been referred to the Cyber Police Station, Phase-7, Mohali, to ascertain the origin of the threatening email and conduct an investigation, Hans said.
The latest scare comes close on the heels of similar threat incidents in Chandigarh, Amritsar, Jalandhar, Patiala, and schools in Haryana, all of which turned out to be hoaxes.
