Hafeez Contractor, Kukreja roped in; 11 architects to be empanelled
Soon your nearest railway station may bear the stamp of India’s top architects as the government is set to come up with an empanelled group to design 600-odd stations announced in the Budget.
Top architecture firms belonging to Hafeez Contractor and C P Kukreja have offered to design a few stations free of cost.
The railways will approach the Cabinet in a month with a station redevelopment policy to give more financial independence to Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation (IRSDC). It will have the powers to raise money from the markets for station development.
Noted architect Hafeez Contractor had offered to design some stations, including major ones in Mumbai such as Dadar, Parel, Wadala, Bandra, and Khar. “We have offered to design at least 19 stations free of cost through a unique model. If they accept the model, the railways can generate more funds and push for developing those cities too. The station redevelopment plan is a lucrative investment opportunity for a lot of people,” Contractor told Business Standard.
CP Kukreja Associates is also designing three stations as part of the programme. Railways Minister Piyush Goyal had met about 110 architects and planners of 54 companies last week.
The MyGov portal of the government has launched a competition for low-cost station development ideas for more than 600 stations under SRIJAN (Station Rejuvenation Initiative through Joint ActioN).
So far, around 450 entries have been received.
“Eight or nine stations that the Railways is working on have a huge potential and may see investments of Rs 8-10 billion. We understand that 20-30 companies are showing an interest in each of these projects because they are in prime localities,” said S K Nandi, a senior official and structural engineer with CP Kukreja Architects.
CP Kukreja Architects on its website has stated it is involved in developing an inter-modal transport project integrated with Delhi Metro as well as the new Anand Vihar Railway Station and also the Rs 46-billion multi-modal transport hub Gandhinagar Capital Station.
Comments
Post a Comment