Title - Kundapur: Byndoor Railway Station to Get a Facelift

Kundapur : The Byndoor Mookambika railway station will soon get a facelift similar to the Madgaon railway station, railway authorities have said.The work in this regard has started already and is expected to be finished within one-and-a-half years.The work is being undertaken at a cost of Rs 16 crore funded by the central and the state governments.The renovation work in Byndoor is the fruit of the efforts put in by Byndoor Mookambika Railway Yatri Sangha. The Byndoor station has potential to grow but it lacks basic infrastructure. The total monthly income of the station is Rs 9 lac, with 15 trains arriving daily.The Byndoor railway station is spread over an area of 46 acre. In the initial stage, a platform will be constructed at a cost of Rs 4.5 crore.Within a week, computerized ticket booking facility, appointment of permanent railway officials, online booking among various others will be implemented, said one of the railway heads.In future, the department has assured of providing necessary facilities like railway hotel, waiting room, washroom, shops, vehicle parking and so on.For the past 5 years, despite the absence of a station master and ticket booking facility, as many as 15 trains have been arriving on a daily basis. The proposed renovation project at Byndoor has brought joy to the devotees travelling from Kerala to Kollur.The renovation work should have been started in the year 2010 but due to the crisis faced by the state government, the project was delayed, due to which the government has faced a loss of Rs 60 to 70 lac as the equipment prices have increased.