Dehradun railway station redevelopment on track; approval sought for 83.5-metre tall tower
The proposed station redevelopment project includes a revolving restaurant atop the tower with a 360-degree view of the Doon Valley.
A meeting to review the status of the redevelopment of Dehradun railway station was held between Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Rawat and vice chairman of Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA) Ved Parkash Dudeja.
In the meeting held in Dehradun on December 15, Dudeja, apprised the chief minister on the status of development of the project and sought approval for the Detailed Project Report (DPR) involving a high-rise building of 83.5 metre height, RLDA sources said.
The present traffic problems for entry and exit at Dehradun station will be eased out under the redevelopment plan. Passengers can enjoy a 360-degree view of the entire Doon Valley in about an hour from the revolving restaurant atop the high-rise tower which will be the first revolving restaurant of its kind in Uttarakhand.
The proposed venture will cost Rs 125 crore for the station and Rs 400 crore for commercial development.
The CM advised MDDA to put up the proposal for cabinet approval in the next cabinet meeting scheduled in the third week of January 2021.
We have requested the state government for early approval to the DPR of the Dehradun Railway Station so that the request fro proposal (RFP) can be floated at the earliest. The redevelopment of the Dehradun railway station will upgrade the facilities in line with global standards. The redevelopment will also catalyse real estate development, accentuate the tourism potential and boost the local economy and will create a win-win situation for all the stakeholders,” said Dudeja.
Ranvir Singh Chauhan, vice chairman, Mussoorie Dehradun Development Authority (MDDA), Shailesh Bagauli, secretary, housing, Uttarakhand and Ashish Kumar Srivastava, district magistrate, Dehradun also attended the meeting.
The Dehradun railway station is being developed jointly by RLDA and MDDA, and an MoU was signed last year between both organisations in this regard.
The objective of the redevelopment is to upgrade the station with state-of-the-art amenities such as segregation of entry and exit, food and beverage outlets, dedicated underground parking, and pedestrian plaza.
The Request for Qualification (RFQ) for the development of the Dehradun station on a PPP mode was earlier invited by RLDA.
The DPR that constitutes a part of RFP, is currently under finalisation by MMDA, following which the RFP is planned to be invited in January 2021. The mandatory station redevelopment is scheduled to be completed in three years. The commercial component will be leased for 60 years and the residential component for 99 years.
The total area of land under consideration is about 14 acres wherein about 8 acres land is allocated for mandatory development of the railways such as station building and railway passenger amenities including offices. The remaining 6 acres land will be allocated for real estate development. The real estate component involves residential and commercial, such as malls, hotels, retail spaces, multi-level parking, and office space.