Varanasi: A joint team of the Railways, district administration and police launched a mega drive on Tuesday night to clear railway land for the Rs 304.61-crore Kashi Railway Station remodelling project aimed at improving connectivity through road and water transport.During the drive, the decades-old Azgaib Shahid mosque and other encroachments were removed, and the debris was cleared overnight.While no one from the mosque management was ready to comment on the issue, local Muslims claimed the structures had existed for a long time, with the mosque being several hundred years old. Administration officials said the land was part of old Railway property and had been encroached upon over the years. They also said that a Hanuman temple had also existed at the location and was removed earlier because the area was encroached upon.Divisional commissioner S Rajalingam said on Wednesday that notices had been issued to remove illegal encroachments and constructions on railway land, including those built for lease or logistics purposes without permission. “Some litigants had approached the court but got no relief, following which the removal drive was carried out as per the notices,” he said.The area covering Bhadau Chungi, Rajghat and Kila Kohna under Adampur police station limits was fortified with the deployment of heavy police force, PAC and central armed police forces. The Azgaib Shahid Masjid and a graveyard existed on railway land, which is now being merged with the Kashi Railway Station area for expansion.Before the arrival of ACP (law and order) Shivhari Meena and DCP (Kashi Zone) Gaurav Banswal, teams led by ADCP (Kashi Zone) Vaibhav Bangar and ACP Kotwali Vijay Pratap Singh had cordoned off the entire area.Before the demolition began with the deployment of bulldozers, earthmovers, loaders and dumpers, surveillance on surrounding routes was increased and public movement was restricted. Immediately after the structures were demolished, the debris was cleared by early morning and traffic was normalised, though police remained deployed as a precautionary measure.The project, aimed at ensuring seamless interconnectivity between rail, road and water transport networks, as well as rejuvenating Kashi Railway Station and linking it with Namo Ghat, was initiated in 2022.Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had reviewed the progress of railway projects in 2022 and approved the design of the proposed Kashi Railway Station building to reflect the religious and cultural ethos of the city.The then chief secretary had also inspected the site and issued directives for early land clearance in 2022, following which a major exercise was launched in 2023. However, the process faced delays after some parties approached the court over removal of structures on the Bhadau Chungi and Kila Kohna sides, although construction on available land continued.At present, Kashi station has only one entry point. After redevelopment, additional entry points will be created on both sides of the station. Buildings at each entrance will be constructed over an area of 10,000 square metres and connected through a 2,700 sq m air concourse (skywalk), which will house facilities such as waiting rooms, food outlets, ticket counters and deluxe toilets.A double-decker signature bridge — with a six-lane road on the upper deck and four railway tracks on the lower deck — is also being constructed alongside the existing structure, which is over 135 years old, to complement the station redevelopment project.An inland waterway jetty already exists, enabling the conversion of Kashi Railway Station into an intermodal transport hub. The expanded section of Namo Ghat will also have large platforms capable of accommodating multiple helicopters.Railway officials expect the project to be completed by December 2027.
