Lok Sabha Question No. 6066 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-04-01
Subject: Poor Condition of Panchrukhi Railway Station
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Dr. Rajeev Bharadwaj

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 6066 TO BE ANSWERED ON 01.04.2026

## POOR CONDITION OF PANCHRUKHI RAILWAY STATION

## †6066. DR. RAJEEV BHARADWAJ:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  complaints  received by  the  Government  regarding  poor condition  of  the  Panchrukhi  Railway  Station  located  in  the  Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh and if so, the details thereof; and
- (b) whether any survey has been conducted by the Government for the said railway station and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND

## ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

(a)  and  (b)  At  Panchrukhi  station  of  Kangra  district  located  in  Himachal Pradesh,  facilities  like  high  level  platform,  platform  shelter,  waiting  hall, drinking water arrangement, urinal, lavatory, seating arrangement etc. are available.  The  works  of  improvement  of  station  building  have  been completed  in  recent  years.  The  works  for  upgradation  of  Panchrukhi station including circulating area, platform fencing, platform shelters etc. have been sanctioned.

Further,  upgradation  /  modernisation  of  stations  on  Indian  Railways  is  a continuous and ongoing process and works in this regard are undertaken as per requirement, inter-se priority, availability of funds etc. The priority for development / upgradation of stations is accorded to higher category of station over lower category of station while sanctioning and executing the works.

§

Proposals  /  requests  /  suggestions  /  representations,  both  formal  and informal for Railway projects/ Works across the country are received on the basis  of  demands  raised  by  State  Governments,  Members  of  Parliament, Ministries of Central Government, elected representatives, Railways' own requirements,  organizations/  rail  users  etc.,  at  various  levels  including Railway  Board,  Zonal  Railways,  Division  Office  etc.  Receipt  of  such proposals  /  requests/  suggestions/  representations  is  a  continuous  and dynamic process and these are examined and action as found feasible and justified  is  taken  from  time  to  time  and  centralized  compendium  for  the same is not maintained.

Ministry  of  Railways  has  launched  Amrit  Bharat  Station  Scheme  for redevelopment of stations with a long-term approach.

The scheme involves preparation of master plans and their implementation in phases to improve the stations. The master planning includes:

-  Improvement of access to station and circulating areas
-  Integration of station with both sides of city
-  Improvement of station building
-  Improvement  of  waiting  halls,  toilets,  sitting  arrangement,  water booths
-  Provision of wider foot over bridge/air concourse commensurate with passenger traffic
-  Provision of lift/escalators/ramp
-  Improvement /Provision of platform surface and cover over platforms
-  Provision  of  kiosks  for  local  products  through  schemes  like  'One Station One Product'
-  Parking areas, Multimodal integration
-  Amenities for Divyangjans
-  Better passenger information systems
-  Provision of executive lounges, nominated  spaces  for business meetings,  landscaping,  etc.  keeping  in  view  the  necessity  at  each station.

The scheme also envisages sustainable and environment friendly solutions, provision of ballastless tracks etc. as per necessity, phasing and feasibility and creation of city centre at the station in the long term.

So  far,  1338  stations  have  been  identified  for  development  under  Amrit Bharat  Station  Scheme,  out  of  which  04  stations,  including  Baijnath Paprola  and  Palampur  Himachal  of  Kangra  district,  Amb  Andaura  and Shimla stations are located in Himachal Pradesh.

Development  works  have  been  completed  at  Amb  Andaura  and  Baijnath Paprola  stations.  Palampur  Himachal  and  Shimla  stations  are  currently under master planning stage.

Master Planning is an iterative process requiring optimization and the time frame and other details for such optimization cannot be indicated at this stage.

Development  /  Upgradation  /  Modernization  of  stations  including  under Amrit  Bharat  Station  Scheme  is  generally  funded  under  Plan  Head-53 'Customer  Amenities'.  The  details  of  allocation  of  funds  for  development and  maintenance  of  stations  are  maintained  Zonal  Railway-wise  and  not Work-wise or Station-wise. Passenger amenities are generally funded under Plan Head-53 'Customer Amenities'. Himachal Pradesh is covered under the jurisdiction of one railway zone, namely Northern Railway. For this zone, an allocation  of  ₹  1,483  crore  (Revised  Estimate)  has  been  made  for  the financial year 2025-26, out of which an expenditure (up to February, 2026) of ₹ 1,547 crore has been incurred so far.

*****