Lok Sabha Question No. 2613 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-08-07
Subject: Construction of OBs and Underpasses  under  ABSS  in Andhra Pradesh
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Shri G Lakshminarayana

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2613 TO BE ANSWERED ON 07.08.2024

## CONSTRUCTION OF OBs AND UNDERPASSES UNDER ABSS IN ANDHRA PRADESH

## 2613 SHRI G LAKSHMINARAYANA:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of approved projects for the construction of overbridges and underpasses under the AMRIT Bharat Station Scheme in Andhra Pradesh, district-wise, especially in Anantapur district;
- (b)  the  funds  allocated  and  disbursed  for  these  projects  in  Andhra Pradesh with a specific breakdown for Anantapur district;
- (c)  the  status  and  progress  of  these  projects  in  Andhra  Pradesh, particularly  in  Anantapur,  including  details  on  fund  utilization  and expected completion timelines;
- (d) whether any challenges or delays encountered in the execution of these projects in Andhra Pradesh, and the measures taken/being taken to address these issues; and
- (e)  whether  there  are  any  pending  proposals  for  the  construction  of overbridges and underpasses in Andhra Pradesh, especially in Anantapur district and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

(SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

(a) to (e) A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

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STATEMENT  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PARTS  (a)  TO  (e)  OF UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2613 BY SHRI G LAKSHMINARAYANA TO BE ANSWERED IN LOK SABHA ON 07.08.2024 REGARDING CONSTRUCTION OF OBs AND  UNDERPASSES UNDER ABSS IN ANDHRA PRADESH (a) to (e)  Upgradation/modernisation of stations on Indian Railways is a continuous and on-going process and works in this regard  are  undertaken  as  per  requirement,  subject  to  inter-se priority and availability of funds. However, priority for upgradation/modernization of stations is accorded  to higher category of station over lower category of station while sanctioning and executing the work. Ministry of Railways has launched 'Amrit Bharat Station Scheme' for  development  of  Railway  stations  on  Indian  Railways.  This scheme envisages development of stations on a continuous basis with a long-term approach. It  involves preparation of Master Plans and their implementation in phases to improve the amenities at the stations like improvement of station  access,  circulating  areas,  waiting  halls, toilets, lift/escalators as necessary, platform surfacing and cover over  platform,  cleanliness,  free  Wi-Fi,  kiosks  for  local  products through schemes like 'One Station One Product', better passenger  information  systems,  Executive  Lounges,  nominated spaces for  business  meetings, landscaping etc. keeping in view the necessity at each station. The scheme also envisages improvement of building, integrating the  station  with  both  sides  of  the  city,  multimodal  integration, amenities  for  Divyangjans,  sustainable  and  environment  friendly solutions,  provision  of  ballastless  tracks  etc.,  as  per  necessity, phasing and feasibility and creation of city centres at the station in the long term. So far 1324 stations have been identified under this scheme out of  which  73  stations  including  Anantapur,  Gooty,  Hindupur  and

Tadipatri stations in Anantapur district are located in the State of Andhra Pradesh. The  details  of  allocation  for  development  and  maintenance  of stations including for Amrit Bharat Station Scheme are maintained  Zonal  Railway-wise  under  Plan  Head-53  'Customer Amenities' and not station-wise or State-wise. Total fund allocated  under  Plan  Head-53  to  Zonal  Railways  for  the  current Financial Year i.e. in 2024-25, is ₹15510.75 crores. There are 04 zones,  namely,  East  Coast  Railway,  Southern  Railway,  South Central  Railway  and  South  Western  Railway,  which  cater  to  the State  of  Andhra  Pradesh.    During  the  current  Financial  Year  a total  amount  of  ₹3804.50  cr  has  been  allocated  to  the  said  04 zones. However, Development/redevelopment/upgradation of Railway Stations  is  complex  in  nature  involving  safety  of  passengers  & trains  and  requires  various  statutory  clearances  such  as  fire clearance,  heritage,  tree  cutting,  air-port  clearance  etc.  The progress also gets affected due to brown field related challenges such as shifting of utilities, (involving water/sewage lines, optical fibre cables, gas pipe lines, power/signal cables etc.,) infringements,  operation  of  trains  without  hindering  passenger movement, speed restrictions due to  works carried out in  close proximity  of  high  voltage  power  lines  etc.  and  these  factors affect  the  completion  time.  Therefore,  no  time  frame  can  be indicated at this stage. Sanctioning  of  works  of  Road  over  Bridge  (ROB)/Road  under Bridge (RUB) in lieu of Level crossings (LCs) is a continuous and dynamic process of Indian Railway. Such works are taken up on the basis of  its  impact  on  safety  in  train  operations,  mobility  of trains & impact for road users and feasibility etc. Four  Railway  Zones  are  having  their  Railway  Network    in  the

State of Andhra  Pradesh i.e. East Coast Railway (ECoR),

Southern  Railway  (SR),  South  Central  Railway  (SCR)  &  South Western Railway (SWR). As  on  01.07.2024,  total  269  Nos.  ROBs/RUBs  are  sanctioned  in the  State  of  Andhra  Pradesh  including  09  Nos.  ROBs/RUBs  in Ananthapur  District  which  are  at  various  stages  of  planning, tendering and execution. ₹  2080  crore  have  been  allocated  for  ROB/RUB  works    in  four Railway  Zones  i.e.  ECoR,  SR,  SCR  &  SWR  for  the  year  2024-25 including    Ananthapur  District.  An  expenditure  of  ₹.  292  crore have  been  incurred  for  these  works  till  June  2024  including Ananthapur District. Completion  &  commissioning  of  ROB/RUB  works  depends  on various factors like cooperation of  State Governments in giving consent for closure of LC,  fixing of approach alignment, approval of General Arrangement Drawing (GAD), land acquisition, removal of encroachment, shifting of infringing utilities, statutory clearances  from  various  authorities,   law  and  order  situation  in the area of project / work sites,  duration of working season in a year  for  the  particular  project  /  area   due  to  climatic  conditions etc.  All these factors affect the completion time of the projects / works. Railways have taken following measures to expedite the progress of work: (i) Joint survey with concerned State Govt./Road  Owning Authority  is  done  before  finalizing  the  General  Arrangement Drawing  (GAD) to ensure smooth execution. (ii) Periodic meetings of Railway & State Government officials are done to resolve various issues related to ROB/RUB works. various combinations  of  span,  skewness  and  width  of  road  on  Railway

- (iii) Standardization of superstructure drawings for portion has been done to avoid delays during the design approval.

This  has  been  issued  in  the  form  of  compendium,  which  can  be directly  adopted  for  Road  Over  Bridge  across  Railway  lines  for expeditious planning. (iv) ROB/RUB works are planned to be executed on a single entity basis  by  Railway  wherever  possible.  In  case  any  Road  Owning authority/State  Govt.  wants  then  Railway  may  permit  them  to execute the work on a single entity basis.

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