The Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation (IRSDC) is in the process of developing form-based codes and is also working on station development design guidelines, its managing director and CEO, S.K. Lohia said at an ASSOCHAM event held in New Delhi on Friday.
“We are following what the Ministry of Urban Development has been advocating i.e. form-based codes, wherein you can have more public area, more green area, sustainable development yet high built-up area, so prioritising pedestrianisation, public transport, public space over the present development control norms,” said Lohia in his address at an ‘ASSOCHAM National Conference on Modernization of Railways: Vision 2020.’
He also informed that IRSDC is working on station development design guidelines. “The present guidelines do not support the transit-oriented development and hence, the need for these codes to be developed. We are almost ready for consultation with state governments before these codes will be notified.”
He also said that Railway Board has also given the zonal railway status to IRSDC as far as railway stations and associated development is concerned. “So that is all giving that single-window clearance approach, that is something which the industry has been demanding. To that extent lot of facilitation has been done and we have also been empowered to set up funds for taking up the station development program in a big way.”
He further informed that out of 8,613 stations across India, about 1,000 stations are amenable for redevelopment because of their importance in terms of passenger footfalls. “If we take the opportunity in terms of investment is about Rs one lakh crore in stations redevelopment alone and roughly about Rs three lakh crore in the associated real estate development.”
Talking about user charges being used as primary source of funding for redeveloping the railway stations as is done in case of various sectors including airports, highways and others, Lohia said, “Definitely, if that is done so that will catapult the entire station development program.”
In his address at the ASSOCHAM conference, Rajesh Agrawal, member (rolling stock), Railway Board emphasized on the need for transformation and holistic change of railways.
“The Railway Board has this year prepared a strategic blueprint for 2030 and this is getting done. We need an immediate kick-start into a very determined short-term action plan and then carry on with a medium term and long-term plan and all the way to 2030,” said Agrawal.
He further said, “We need to reduce our logistics costs below 10 per cent.”
