Parliament Question: Poor Condition of Panchrukhi Railway Station

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 6066 TO BE ANSWERED ON 01.04.2026 POOR CONDITION OF PANCHRUKHI RAILWAY STATION †6066. DR. RAJEEV BHARADWAJ: Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state: (a) whether complaints received by the Government regarding poor condition of the Panchrukhi Railway Station located in the Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh and if so, the details thereof; and (b) whether any survey has been conducted by the Government for the said railway station and if so, the details thereof? ANSWER MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW) (a) and (b) At Panchrukhi station of Kangra district located in Himachal Pradesh, facilities like high level platform, platform shelter, waiting hall, drinking water arrangement, urinal, lavatory, seating arrangement etc. are available. The works of improvement of station building have been completed in recent years. The works for upgradation of Panchrukhi station including circulating area, platform fencing, platform shelters etc. have been sanctioned. Further, 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 etc. The priority for development / upgradation of stations is accorded to higher category of station over lower category of station while sanctioning and executing the works. § Page 1 of 3Proposals / requests / suggestions / representations, both formal and informal for Railway projects/ Works across the country are received on the basis of demands raised by State Governments, Members of Parliament, Ministries of Central Government, elected representatives, Railways' own requirements, organizations/ rail users etc., at various levels including Railway Board, Zonal Railways, Division Office etc. Receipt of such proposals / requests/ suggestions/ representations is a continuous and dynamic process and these are examined and action as found feasible and justified is taken from time to time and centralized compendium for the same is not maintained. Ministry of 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. Page 2 of 3So far, 1338 stations have been identified for development under Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, out of which 04 stations, including Baijnath Paprola and Palampur Himachal of Kangra district, Amb Andaura and Shimla stations are located in Himachal Pradesh. Development works have been completed at Amb Andaura and Baijnath Paprola stations. Palampur Himachal and Shimla stations are currently under master planning stage. Master Planning is an iterative process requiring optimization and the time frame and other details for such optimization cannot be indicated at this stage. Development / Upgradation / Modernization of stations including under Amrit Bharat Station Scheme is generally funded under Plan Head-53 ‘Customer Amenities’. The details of allocation of funds for development and maintenance of stations are maintained Zonal Railway-wise and not Work-wise or Station-wise. Passenger amenities are generally funded under Plan Head-53 ‘Customer Amenities’. Himachal Pradesh is covered under the jurisdiction of one railway zone, namely Northern Railway. For this zone, an allocation of ₹ 1,483 crore (Revised Estimate) has been made for the financial year 2025-26, out of which an expenditure (up to February, 2026) of ₹ 1,547 crore has been incurred so far. ***** Page 3 of 3