Railway station near Somnath temple to be upgraded at Rs 134 cr
RLDA, a statutory body functioning under the Railways Ministry, has solicited request for proposal (RFP) from private contractors for the work after holding a pre-bid consultation meeting with national and state-level developers.
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The railway station near Somnath temple. (Courtesy: Bhavnagar division, Western Railway)
THE RAILWAY station near the famous Somnath temple near Veraval town in Devbhumi Dwarka district is all set for a major overhaul with the Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA) deciding to upgrade the existing station at an estimated cost of Rs 134 crore.
RLDA, a statutory body functioning under the Railways Ministry, has solicited request for proposal (RFP) from private contractors for the work after holding a pre-bid consultation meeting with national and state-level developers. The station will be upgraded on engineering-procurement-construction (EPC) basis and the online window to submit RFP will be open till May 25.
“Veraval (Somnath) is a historic city and a prominent tourist hub. The upgradation of the Somnath railway station will strengthen tourism prospects of the area. The upgraded station will also enhance travel experience of the commuters and lead to a surge in business activities in the region,” stated RLDA vice-chairman Ved Parkash Dudeja in a release.
The Somnath station comes under Bhavnagar division of Western Railway. The existing railway station has two platforms. The proposed upgradation will include civil work as well as mechanical, electrical and plumbing work and an exclusive building façade exhibiting the local heritage of Somnath temple. The upgraded station will have segregated arrival and departure lounges.
In future, Somnath station will be connected with the bus stand of the Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation in Somnath. Station will be developed by adopting green building concept for energy efficiency and the entire project is planned to be completed within two years.
Somnath is a shrine of Lord Shiva and one of the 12 jyotirlingams in the country. It is managed and maintained by Shree Somnath Trust, a religious trust headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and has top BJP leaders, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah and veteran BJP leader LK Advani, as trustees. With donation from devotees, the temple trust is in the process of gold-plating the temple.
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