Previous Congress govt neglected development of rail infrastructure in MP: CM Chouhan

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Sunday said the previous Congress government neglected the development of railway infrastructure in the state by allotting meagre funds for it.

The rail, road and air networks have grown by leaps and bounds under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the country, he said.

Chouhan was addressing a function at Vidisha station in Madhya Pradesh. It was part of the foundation stone laying for redevelopment of 508 railway stations across the country by PM Modi via video conferencing.

These railway stations include 34 in MP, to be redeveloped at a cost Rs 982 crore, as per officials.

“The previous Congress government gave just Rs 632 crore in five years for railway infrastructure in MP, whereas the government of Prime Minister Modi has given Rs 13,607 crore to the state for railway network development and expansion in the same period, 21 per cent higher than what the Congress government gave,' Chouhan said.

The previous Congress government neglected the state, he said.

Chouhan said the rail, road and air networks have grown by leaps and bounds under the leadership of PM Modi in the country.

He said 2,000-km of roads have been laid in Vidisha district alone.

Before 2014, India neither commanded much respect nor that much attention at the global level, but since the government led by PM Modi came to power, the country's stature has grown in the world, the chief minister said.

“Everywhere, Modiji is being lauded. He is leading the world in some spheres,” he added.

Chouhan watched on a TV set PM Modi's event of laying the foundation stone for redevelopment of 508 railway stations across the country via video conferencing.

These 508 stations are spread across 27 states and union territories, including 55 each in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, 49 in Bihar, 44 in Maharashtra, 37 in West Bengal, 34 in Madhya Pradesh, 32 in Assam, 25 in Odisha, 22 in Punjab, 21 each in Gujarat and Telangana, 20 in Jharkhand, 18 each in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, according to the Prime Minister's Office.

Besides 15 of the stations are in Haryana and 13 in Karnataka.

The redevelopment, which will cost Rs 24,470 crore, will provide modern passenger amenities along with ensuring well designed traffic circulation, inter-modal integration and well designed signage for guidance of passengers, the PMO had said in a statement, adding the design of station buildings will be inspired by local culture, heritage and architecture.

Noting that Modi has often laid stress on provision of state-of-the-art public transport and that railways is the preferred mode of transport of people, the PMO said he has prioritised the importance of providing world-class amenities at railway stations.

Guided by this vision, the 'Amrit Bharat Station Scheme' was launched to redevelop 1,309 stations, it said.

As part of this scheme, the foundation stone for redevelopment of 508 stations was laid by the prime minister.