Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday took a dig at the previous coalition governments at the Centre and said that in the past Railway portfolio had become a tool to make or break the governments.
Modi was addressing a gathering after taking part in the groundbreaking ceremony of Gandhinagar railway station, which is being redeveloped.
When completed, Gandhinagar will be the first railway station in the country to have amenities like in an airport. To be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 250 crore, the complex would also house a 300 room 5-star hotel.
The Gujarat government is to hold 74 per cent stake in the project and the Railway ministry will have remaining 26 per cent stake.
Modi said he hoped that in future, dignitaries coming from across the world to attend various programmes at the Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar would stay at the hotel. The helipad, near the railway station, is also used for exhibition purposes. The prime minister said that the facilities being set up in Gandhinagar would work like a magnetic centre for business.
He said thousands of railway stations in the country could be redeveloped on the lines of the Gandhingar railway station.
The redevelopment work is expected to be completed before the next Vibrant Gujarat Summit in 2019.
Modi also outlined the measures the Railways was taking across the country to make it more people-friendly.
"Budget allocation has increased, doubling work, gauge conversion work is happening faster," he said and added that the government was making efforts to make it as modern as possible.
"We want our railways to bring a qualitative difference in the lives of citizens," he said.
