Chandigarh, Aug. 7 -- In response to a question by city Member of Parliament (MP) Manish Tewari, the Ministry of Railways clarified in Parliament that no timeframe for the completion of the Chandigarh railway station redevelopment project can be indicated at this stage. The ministry cited multiple complexities, including passenger safety and statutory clearances related to fire, heritage, tree cutting, etc, for its inability to commit to a timeline. The Ministry further said the project's progress is affected due to brownfield-related challenges such as shifting of utilities, operation of trains without hindering passenger movement, and speed restrictions due to works carried out in close proximity of high-voltage power lines etc. To Tewari's question on the cost and percentage of work completed, the Ministry revealed that the redevelopment work has been sanctioned under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme at an estimated cost of Rs.436.29 crore. Structural work on both the Chandigarh and Panchkula sides has been completed. Ongoing work includes the construction of an air concourse, foot overbridge, parking facilities and platforms and station building upgrade. The Ministry revealed 1,337 stations have been identified for development under the Amrit Bharat scheme, including Chandigarh. So far, Phase 1 work on 105 stations has been completed. Chandigarh railway station falls under the jurisdiction of the northern railways, for which a total of allocation of Rs.2,216 crore has been made for the 2025-26 financial year. Tewari also asked whether the government was aware of the poor state of hygiene and amenities, besides crowding at the station. The Ministry said regular cleanliness drives are being conducted. To regulate rush, the Ministry mentioned maintaining the queue system, deployment of railway protection force (RPF) staff in CCTV control rooms to keep tabs on crowded areas, deployment of government railway police and RPF staff on foot overbridge. Besides, intelligence officials in plain clothes are also deployed at the station....