Railways Offers Land At Ajmer, Jaisalmer And Gorakhpur For Commercial Use

Continuing with the plan for commercial utilisation of vacant rail land, Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA) has offered nearly 70,000 sq metres of land at Ajmer, Jaisalmer and Gorakhpur on lease.

The RLDA has floated a Request for Proposal (RFP) for leasing two vacant land parcels at Jaisalmer and Ajmer in Rajasthan at an estimated cost of over Rs 60 crore.

The land parcel at Jaisalmer spans a little over three hectares and is located along Jodhpur Road, near Jaisalmer Railway Station.

The land parcel in Ajmer spans around 9,000 sq metres and is situated on Beawar Road. Both of these land parcels will be leased for commercial use for a period of 45 years.

“Rajasthan is a prominent tourism destination and has witnessed rapid industrial development and strengthening of social infrastructure that has unlocked the economic potential of the region. The commercial development of these land parcels will boost retail and real estate sectors, lead to employment generation and contribute to the state’s economic development,” said RLDA Vice-Chairman Ved Parkash Dudeja at a presser recently.

Both Jaisalmer and Ajmer fall under the North Western Railway of Indian Railways.

The reserve price of Jaisalmer and Ajmer Land parcels is Rs 20.50 crore and Rs 40 crore respectively and the last date of e-bid submission is April 27, 2021 and May 10, 2021 respectively.

Rajasthan has witnessed a spate of infrastructural developments in the past few years such as the establishment of Agro Food Park, Export Promotion Industrial Parks and Special Economic Zones that augur well for its economic growth.

The proposed Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor will boost connectivity, spur economic development and herald a dramatic socio-economic transformation of the region.

RLDA has also floated an RFP for leasing a land parcel for residential development along with the construction of Railway Transit Suites at the premium Ramgarh Tal area of Gorakhpur.

In a major development, the UP government has issued a notification to exempt railway land in the state from requirements of any amendments in the Master Plan or the Zonal Development Plan for residential and commercial use, subject to the land being developed in harmony with the surrounding areas.

Some Railway quarters are also to be constructed at Bauliya Colony in Gorakhpur under the colony redevelopment scheme of the Railways.

The Ramgarh Tal site spans 32,911 sq. m. and is located adjacent to the Ramgarh Tal Lake at Mohaddipur. It is primarily a residential-cum-commercial neighbourhood located beside the Railway area and Mohaddipur block.

The complete land area of the Ramgarh Tal project is divided into two parts. One part measuring approximately 32,011 sq metres shall be available for lease-based residential development on 99 years’ leasehold rights to the selected Lessee/developer.

The Built-up Area (BUA) of the site for residential development is 48,017 sq. metres (excluding basement/stilt for parking). The Floor Area Ratio (FAR) of the site proposed for residential development is 1.50 and its reserve price is Rs 71.50 crore.

The other smaller part measuring 900 sq metres is earmarked for mandatory redevelopment of Railway Transit Suites at Ramgarh Tal.

Apart from the above, 100 Type-III Railway quarters are also to be constructed at Bauliya Railway Colony for which a separate area measuring 13,516 sq metres has been earmarked by North Eastern Railways.

The cost of mandatory railway development is estimated at Rs 25.47 crore. The online pre-bid meeting conducted on March 16 was attended by at least 12 developers/architects evincing keen interest in bidding for the site. The deadline for the bid submission is May 4, 2021.

The site is bounded by Vindhyavasini Park in the East, New Gorakhpur Bus Station in the West, Ramgarh Tal Lake in the South and Railway Golf Ground in the North. The office of the Gorakhpur Development Authority, a planetarium, a tourist bungalow and Champa Vihar Park lie in the vicinity.

The lessee will be mandated to develop the site and carry out the mandatory railway redevelopment work as per applicable bye-laws. He will bear all costs towards Railway re-development works.

RLDA is a statutory body under the Ministry of Railways for the development of Railway land. It has four key mandates as a part of its development plan, namely leasing of commercial sites, colony redevelopment, station redevelopment and multi-functional complexes.

Currently, the Indian Railway has approximately 43,000 hectares of vacant land across India. RLDA has over 84 commercial (Greenfield) sites across India for leasing to eligible developers after selection through an open and transparent e-bidding process.

RLDA is currently also handling 84 railway colony redevelopment projects and has recently leased out a railway colony in Guwahati for redevelopment.

Station redevelopment is another major area over which RLDA is currently working and is handling 62 railway stations' development works.