Tourist facilitation centre to come up at Mathura Junction: Hema Malini

MATHURA: A tourist facilitation centre is expected to come up at Mathura Junction railway station with the Uttar Pradesh Braj Teerth Vikas Parishad agreeing to bear the expenses, BJP MP Hema Malini said on Sunday.

Speaking with a group of reporters via video-link, the Mathura Lok Sabha member said, "A tourist facilitation centre outside Gate No.

2 of Mathura Junction would add value to passenger amenities at the railway station."

The centre would be equipped with a Sulabh toilet facility, a counter for assistance and providing information to passengers, facilities for room stay at low rates, among others, Malini said.

Shailja Kant Mishra, Vice Chairperson of UP Braj Teerth Vikas Parishad, had agreed to bear the cost for the proposed centre, the politician-turned-actress added.

The proposal is awaiting clearance from the Railway Board, she said.

If the land is provided by the railways, then, the centre would be handed over to the railway authorities after construction, the 71-year-old said.

"As the railway station is the gateway to any city, my focus is to get Mathura Junction equipped with maximum facilities for bringing in tourists," she added.

Mathura has immense tourism potential in spiritually, sports and trekking, she said. "If we can attract international tourists, it would open the gates for employment here," Malini added.

A proposal for renovation of Braj Vatika at platform No. 7 with enhanced facilities has also been sent to North Central Railway authorities.

On the MP's suggestion, the North Central Railway has in principle agreed to provide a reverse osmosis (RO) plant for drinking water at Gate No 1 to 3.

The ubiquitous A H Wheeler bookstall at the station will be converted into a multi-purpose kiosk, the MP said.

The railway authorities have approved emergency quota facility to help passengers in bulk booking on the Dehradun Express at the Mathura Junction , which is a scheduled stopping, she claimed, while adding that a proposal for change in the timings of Kosi Kalan shuttle service has also been sent to authorities.

During her first term, the lawmaker had released Rs 25 lakh from her MPLADS fund for installing 100 steel benches in the railway station.