Decongesting Tirupati rly station high on agenda: DRM

Tirupati: Giving top priority to decongest the traffic at Tirupati main railway station, West and Tiruchanoor stations will be developed soon, reiterated Guntakal DRM Vijay Prathap Singh.

Speaking to media at Tirupati railway station on Friday, he said already an MoU was reached with National Building Construction Corporation (NBCC) to execute the development works at Tirupati West station.

“Now they are doing a survey. Once it is completed detailed plans as how to make the best use of available site will be chalked out. The development of that area was very much on the cards,” he said.

Regarding Tiruchanoor station, which was also pending for over a year, the DRM said that civil works tender was awarded recently. “It will be upgraded from C grade to B grade station. Rs 32 crore works will be started there very soon,” he said.

The works on Tirupati South side were going on a good pace, he said and addedabout Rs 77 crore will be spent on the development works. The DRM added that the railways were giving top priority to safetyrelated measures. Focus was laid on completing footover bridges wherever necessary, removing of unmanned level crossings, he said.

The Railway Minister has given full powers to GMs in taking steps relating to the safety, he said and added a new system called ‘Train Protection Warning System’ was also sanctioned. Under this system, train will stop automatically when it crosses the red signal, he said and added electronic interlinking system also being developed.

Earlier, the DRM inspected the damaged door of toilet meant for physically challenged in the station, damaged toilet seats at pay and use toilets, leakage of water from drinking water pipes on the platforms and dilapidated waste disposal room. He came to know that the contractor of pay and use toilets has not recharged the account for the last six months and there was no power supply at toilets.

Instead, candles were being used there. As a result, the walls and doors at toilets were filled with smoke which made them black. He asked the officials to call the contractor and instructed him to whitewash the area. During his visit, the DRM inaugurated a food court at the station ‘Aaharam’ which is an IRCTC initiative.

IRCTC DGM Narasinga Rao, Sr DCM Rakesh, Liasion Officer K Satyanarayana, Divisional Security Officer Elisha and Incharge Station Manager Muthu Swamy were with the DRM.