New Delhi, Dec 5: The government has spent Rs 7,253 crore so far (up to October), of the total budgetary allocation of Rs 12,118 crore for 2025–26, on the redevelopment of railway stations across the country under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw informed Parliament on Friday.

The minister stated in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha that work is in progress at a good pace for the development of stations such as Tirupati, Yesvantpur, Rameswaram, and Safdarjung station in Delhi..

So far, 1,337 stations have been identified for development under this scheme since it was launched, of which 155 stations have been completed till now.

Vaishnaw said that the station development projects under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme are primarily conceptualised with budgetary support. However, 15 stations have been identified to be explored for development under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode also and based on the experience gained from the same, further evolution of the scheme is envisaged.

He further stated that the ownership of stations and operations-related activity will be with the Indian Railways. However, for some identified major stations, specific activities or groups of activities may be entrusted to outside sources for specified tenures depending upon the type of activity, requirements of the station, demand, etc. The terms of the contract are decided on a case-by-case basis.

He said that the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme for the redevelopment of stations has been launched with a long-term approach.

The scheme involves the preparation of master plans and their implementation in phases to improve the stations. The master planning includes improvement of access to the station and circulating areas, integration of the station with both sides of the city, improvement of the station building and improvement of waiting halls, toilets, sitting arrangement, and water booths.

The redevelopment plans also include provision of wider foot over bridge or air concourse commensurate with passenger traffic, provision of lifts, escalators and ramps, improvement of platform surface and cover over platforms and provision of kiosks for local products through schemes like ‘One Station One Product’.

Besides, the construction of parking areas, multimodal integration, amenities for Divyangjans, better passenger information systems, provision of executive lounges, nominated spaces for business meetings and landscaping is being taken up, keeping in view the necessity at each station, Vaishnaw said.

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

Palghar: In a major development nearly three months after the collapse of an illegal residential building that claimed 17 lives, Assistant Commissioner Gilson Gonsalves has been arrested for allegedly failing to take timely action against the dangerous structure.

According to police, Gonsalves, who headed Ward-C of the Vasai-Virar City Municipal Corporation (VVCMC), did not initiate mandatory action against the unauthorised and unsafe Ramabai Apartment, nor did he file a case under the MRTP Act within the stipulated period. His inaction, officials say, contributed to the scale of the tragedy.

The four-storey Ramabai Apartment, located in Vijay Nagar, Virar (East), collapsed on 26 August 2025 during the Ganesh festival, triggering shock and panic across the city. The incident killed 17 residents and left nine others injured. The building, which contained 50 flats, had deteriorated severely in just a few years.

Investigators revealed that the developer had misled residents into believing the structure was authorised, leading them to continue paying municipal taxes. Following the collapse, police registered a case against builder Nital Sane, the landowner, and three others. Five individuals, including the builder, were arrested, although four have since been granted bail.

Police Commissioner Niket Kaushik had handed the investigation over to Crime Branch Unit-3, which continued to probe municipal lapses. During the inquiry, it emerged that despite the building being declared dangerous, Gonsalves did not ensure the evacuation of residents or pursue legal action against the developer.

As a result, Crime Branch officials registered a case against him and arrested him at around 1:30 a.m. on Thursday night. Although Gonsalves had applied for anticipatory bail in the Vasai court, his plea was rejected.

The arrest marks a significant step in the ongoing probe, as authorities face increasing pressure from residents and activists to hold both builders and civic officials accountable for the region’s growing number of unsafe and unauthorised structures.

In a swift operation, Thane City Police busted a sex racket operating under the guise of an orchestra bar business. The Wagle Estate Police acted on a tip-off from social worker Binu Varghese, who reported that two agents were luring young women into prostitution near Dheeraj Hotel in Louiswadi, Thane. The accused allegedly sent photos of girls working at local orchestra bars to potential clients through mobile phones.

Following the alert, the Wagle Estate Police Station team conducted a decoy operation by posing as customers. During the raid near Louiswadi, officers detained two male brokers and rescued five women who had been trapped in the sex trade. According to police sources, the rescued girls were originally employed in orchestra bars across Thane and Bhiwandi.

Preliminary investigations revealed that some of the rescued women were earlier booked in a 2021 prostitution case registered at Mira Road Police Station under the MBVV Police Commissionerate. The two arrested brokers had allegedly been running the illegal racket for the past four to five years, supplying girls to clients in Ghodbunder, Thane, and Kalher, Bhiwandi.

The police have registered a case under sections 143(1), 143(3), and 3(5) of the BNS Act, along with sections 4 and 5 of the PETA Act. Both accused have been taken into custody, and the rescued women have been sent to a government-recognised women’s shelter for counselling and care.

The operation was conducted under the supervision of Zone 5 DCP Prashant Kadam, Senior PI Shivaji Gaware, and PI Shivanand Devkar of Wagle Estate Police Station. Authorities have confirmed that investigations are ongoing to identify other individuals connected to the racket and to uncover the full network involved in exploiting women working in orchestra bars.