Rourkela: Rourkela will be the third town in India after Nagpur in Maharashtra and New Jalpaiguri in West Bengal to have a railway coach restaurant.
It is expected that the railway coach restaurant will be functional in October before the Durga Puja, as per information provided by the manager of the Rourkela station, Prabhat Das.
“The restaurant is being set up by ‘Priyanka Parcel Services’ of Kolkata. As per officials of ‘Priyanka Parcel’, the restaurant initially was to start functioning in August. However, due to some unforeseen circumstances, the launching of the restaurant got delayed. However, it will be launched in October before Durga Puja,” Das informed.
The restaurant will be set up near Gate No. 2 of the Rourkela railway station. This gate, on the northern side of the station, has been built recently. “The restaurant will be open for the public and also passengers,” informed Das.
The decision to set up the railway coach restaurant near Gate No. 2 was taken as a large number of hotels and eating joints exist close to Gate No. 1.
Satya Das, a regular commuter was very happy when he heard that the station is going to have this unique type of restaurant. “This will immensely benefit a person like me. Passengers like us are always on the lookout for quality food. I am hopeful that the standard of food will be as per IRCTC norms and the prices will also be affordable,” Satya stated.
It should also be stated that the railway station here is all set for a modern facelift at a cost of Rs400 crore. General manager of South Eastern Railways, Anil Kumar Mishra during a recent visit here had informed that Rourkela station would undergo a complete transformation and get a new look. He had told the media that a detailed plan has been prepared for the modernisation of the station. It would soon be sent to the Railways Board for approval.
Sources also informed that the newly-constructed platforms, Nos. 6 and 7, would be formally inaugurated before the Durga Puja this year.
PNN