Parliament Question: ABSS for Chhindwara and Pandhurna District, Madhya Pradesh

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4569 TO BE ANSWERED ON 20.08.2025 ABSS FOR CHHINDWARA AND PANDHURNA DISTRICT, MADHYA PRADESH †4569. SHRI RAHUL SINGH LODHI:

SHRI BUNTY VIVEK SAHU:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

(a) the details of Stations identified for redevelopment under Amrit Bharat Station Scheme (ABSS), in Chhindwara and Pandhurna districts of Madhya Pradesh; and

(b) the details of the redevelopment work being undertaken at Chhindwara and Junnardeo Railway Stations along with the progress made therein and the time by when the said work is likely to be completed? ANSWER MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

(a) and (b) Chhindwara and Junnor Deo stations of Chhindwara district and Pandhurna station of Pandhurna district, located in the state ofMadhya Pradesh have been identified for development under Amrit Bharat Station Scheme.

 Chhindwara station: The works of improvement of circulating area, concourse, waiting area, toilets, platform shelters and 12 m Foot Over Bridge have been completed and The works of improvement of station building elevation, porch, signages, train indication board and coach indication board have been taken up.

 Junnor Deo station: The works of improvement of toilet and new platform shelter have been completed. The works of new station building, porch, lift, improvement of circulating area and new 12 m Foot Over Bridge have been taken up.

 Pandhurna station: The works of construction of new platform shelter and boundary wall have been completed. The works of construction of porch, new 12 m Foot Over Bridge, lift and improvement of circulating area have been taken up.

To enhance customer experience and provide better amenities, Indian Railways has launched Amrit Bharat Station Scheme for redevelopment of stations with a long-term approach.

The scheme involves preparation of master plans and their implementation in phases to improve the stations. The master

planning includes:  Improvement of access to station and circulating areas  Integration of station with both sides of city Improvement of station building  Improvement of waiting halls, toilets, sitting arrangement, water booths  Provision of wider Foot Over Bridge/air concourse commensurate with passenger traffic  Provision of lift/escalators/ramp  Improvement /Provision of platform surface and cover over platforms  Provision of kiosks for local products through schemes like ‘One Station One Product’  Parking areas, Multimodal integration  Amenities for Divyangjans  Better passenger information systems  Provision of executive lounges, nominated spaces for business meetings, landscaping, etc. keeping in view the necessity at each station The scheme also envisages sustainable and environment friendly solutions, provision of ballastless tracks etc. as per necessity, phasing and feasibility and creation of city centre at the station in the long term.

Under this scheme, 80 stations including Chhindwara, Junnor Deo and Pandhurna stations located in the state of Madhya Pradesh have been identified. List of stations identified under this scheme in the state of

Madhya Pradesh is as under:No. of State Amrit Names of Amrit Stations Stations Akodia, Amla, Anuppur, Ashoknagar, Balaghat, Banapura, Bargawan, Beohari, Berchha, Betul, Bhind, Bhopal, Bijuri, Bina, BiyavraRajgarh, Chhindwara, Dabra, Damoh, Datia, Dewas, Gadarwara, Ganjbasoda, Ghoradongri, Guna, Gwalior, Harda, Harpalpur, Indore Jn, Itarsi Jn, Jabalpur, Junnor Deo, Kareli, Katni Jn, KatniMurwara, Katni South, Khachrod, Khajuraho Jn, Khandwa, Khirkiya, Laxmi Bai Nagar, Maihar, Madhya 80 Pradesh Maksi Jn, Mandla Fort, Mandsor, MCS Chhatarpur, Meghnagar, Morena, Multai, Nagda Jn, Nainpur Jn, Narmadapuram, Narsinghpur, Nepanagar, Nimuch, Orchha, Pandhurna, Pipariya, Ratlam, Rewa, Ruthiyai, Sanchi, Sant Hirdaram Nagar, Satna, Saugor, Sehore, Seoni, Shahdol, Shajapur, Shamgarh, Sheopur Kalan, Shivpuri, Shridham, Shujalpur, Sihora Road, Singrauli, Tikamgarh, Ujjain, Umaria, Vidisha, Vikramgarh Alot Development works at railway stations under Amrit Bharat Station Scheme in the state of Madhya Pradesh have been taken up at a good pace. Till now, phase-I works of 06 stations (Katni South,Narmadapuram, Orchha, Seoni, Shajapur and Shridham) in the state of Madhya Pradesh have been completed under this scheme.The works at other stations have also been taken up at good pace and progress of

some of above stations is as given below:  Bargawan station: The works of construction of new station building, entrance porch, circulating area, improvement to waiting room, platform surfacing, platform shelter, parking, toilet block have been completed. The works of 12m Foot Over Bridge and second entry work have been taken up.

 Beohari station: The works of construction of new station building, entrance porch, circulating area, improvement to waiting room, platform surfacing, platform shelter, parking, toilet block, 12 m Foot Over Bridge work have been completed. The works of lift and escalator at platform no. 2 & 3 have been taken up.

 Maihar station: The works of second entry, entrance porch, waiting room, platform surfacing, platform shelter, parking, toilet, improvement of circulating area and improvement of existing station building have been completed. The work of 12 m Foot Over Bridge has been taken up.

 Ruthiyai station: The works of new station building, entrance porch, circulating area, waiting room, platform surfacing, platform shelter, parking, toilet and improvement of existing station building havebeen completed. The work of 12 m Foot Over Bridge have been taken up.

 Shivpuri station: The works of new entrance porch, waiting room, platform surfacing and platform shelter have been completed. The works of improvement of existing station building, circulating area, toilet, parking and 12 m Foot Over Bridge have been taken up.

 Vidisha station: The works of new station building, entrance porch, circulating area, improvement of existing station building, waiting room, platform surfacing, platform shelter, parking and toilet have been completed. The work of 12 m Foot Over Bridge has been taken up.

Upgradation / Modernisation of stations on Indian Railways is a continuous and ongoing process and works in this regard are undertaken as per requirement, inter-se priority, availability of funds. The priority for development / redevelopment / upgradation / modernisation of stations is accorded to higher category of station over lower category of station while sanctioning and executing the works.

Funds allotment:

Indian Railways is committed to provide enhanced and modern amenities to passengers. During recent years, large investments have been made by Ministry of Railways for upgradation of customeramenities as compared earlier period. Expenditure under Plan Head–53 ‘Customer Amenities’ during 2004-14, 2014-25 and 2025-26 is as under:

Expenditure under Plan Head–53 ‘Customer Period Amenities’ 2004-14 ₹ 6,733 crores 2014-25 ₹ 35,591 crores 2025-26 ₹ 3,701 crores (up to July, 2025) Further, development / upgradation / modernization of stations including Amrit Bharat Station Scheme is generally funded under Plan Head-53 ‘Customer Amenities’. The details of allocation and expenditure under Plan Head-53 are maintained Zonal Railway-wise and not work-wise or station-wise or state-wise. The state of Madhya Pradesh is covered under the jurisdiction of seven railway zones, namely Central Railway, East Central Railway, North Central Railway, South Central Railway, South East Central Railway, Western Railway, and West Central Railway.

For these zones, the fund allocation of ₹ 5,566 crore has been made for the financial year 2025-26 under Plan Head – 53 and an expenditure (up to July, 2025) of ₹ 1,795 crore has been incurred so far.

Development / Redevelopment / Upgradation / Modernisation of Railway Stations is complex in nature involving safety of passengers & trains and requires various statutory clearances such as fire clearance, heritage,tree cutting, airport clearance etc. The progress also gets affected due to brown field related challengessuch as shifting of utilities (involving water/sewage lines, optical fibre cables, gas pipe lines, power/signal cables etc.), infringements, operation of trains without hindering passenger movement, speed restrictions due to works carried out in close proximity of tracks and high voltage power lines, etc. and these factors affect the completion time. Therefore, no time frame can be indicated at this stage.

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