Passenger Amenities Committee inspects Secunderabad railway station

New Delhi [India], September 26 (ANI): Chairman of the Railway Ministry's Passenger Amenities Committee (PAC), PK Krishnadas on Saturday visited Secunderabad railway station and inspected the passenger amenities and other facilities available at the station.
The official statement issued by Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation (IRSDC) read, "The committee included Krishnadas and the members interacted with officials of South Central Railway and IRSDC.
"It was informed to the committee that the facility management of the station is being managed by IRSDC in addition to managing facility management at other stations," read a press statement.
"IRSDC is also redeveloping railway stations including the Secunderabad railway station," it added.
The committee appreciated the upkeep of the station especially the greenery and horticulture work maintained at the entrance of the station towards platform 10 sides and commented that the high level of cleanliness is being maintained at the station.
The committee further inspected various passenger facilities like waiting halls, toilets and catering stalls etc. at the station and appreciated the cleanliness of the toilets and the other facilities at the station.
As per the press statement, "The committee also visited the 'Water from Air' vending kiosk, Health kiosk, Generic Medicine Outlet 'Dawadost' and commended the innovative initiatives taken by IRSDC at the station, all of which are very useful to the passengers."
The committee was informed that the 'Water from Air' kiosk is the first-of-its-kind facility at any station over Indian railways where atmospheric vapour is extracted and converted to water and served to the passengers.
The committee appreciated the initiative for providing a Generic Medicine outlet at the station which has been opened with a view to promoting "Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP)", which is 1st of its kind of facility at the station where passengers especially the senior citizens and other passengers.
The outlet offers discounts of up to 80 per cent on the maximum retail price (MRP) and the outlet has a provision for a doctor room for medical assistance to the passengers.
To promote branded products at the stations, IRSDC has opened 'Nestle Kiosks' at the station. This initiative has helped to gain the passenger confidence and the committee desired that such facilities should be made available to passengers at other stations too.
Recently in June 2021, IRSDC started an emergency-cum-generic medicine outlet at the Secunderabad Railway Station. The outlet is situated on platform 1 in the general waiting hall and caters to the emergency medical needs of passengers.
IRSDC has been entrusted with the mandate to undertake Facility Management at five railway stations, namely, KSR Bengaluru, Pune, Anand Vihar, Chandigarh and Secunderabad, to enhance customer experience and make travel a safe and hassle-free experience.
It will be undertaking facility management of 90 more stations in a phased manner. IRSDC is also driving the agenda of station redevelopment envisioned by the Centre with the participation of private players as a part of Public-private partnership (PPP) projects.
As part of this agenda, work on the redevelopment of 125 stations is in progress. Out of this, IRSDC is working on 63 stations, and Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA) is working on 60 stations and two remaining stations by Railways itself.
As per current estimates, the total investment needed for the redevelopment of 125 stations along with real estate development is about Rs 50,000 crore. (ANI)