(MENAFN- IANS) Patna, July 7 (IANS) Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Monday conducted a surprise inspection of several railway stations in Bihar, reviewing the progress of development works under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme.

The inspection tour, which began from Patna, covered stations in Hajipur, Muzaffarpur, Samastipur, and Sonpur divisions.

The General Manager of East Central Railway, the DRM of Sonpur Division, and the BJP MP from Darbhanga, Gopal Ji Thakur, accompanied the minister during the inspection.

Vaishnaw visited Hajipur Junction before heading to Karpurigram station in Samastipur district, after inspecting Digha Ghat railway station.

At Digha Ghat, officials had arranged a wooden ladder for boarding the train, but the minister rejected the arrangement and personally inspected the coach.

At Karpurigram station in Samastipur, Vaishnaw garlanded the statue of Jananayak Karpuri Thakur and laid the foundation stone for station redevelopment and the construction of a road underbridge.

“We have laid the foundation stones for key projects like ROBs, station redevelopment, and other initiatives,” the Railway Minister said during the visit.

Vaishnaw also conducted a field inspection of passenger facilities and surrounding areas to assess ground realities and ongoing infrastructure upgrades.

Security and vigilance measures were heightened across all the junctions in view of the minister's visit.

The Railway Minister's visit is seen as significant ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's scheduled visit to Bihar on July 18.

Earlier on May 23 this year, Ashwini Vaishnaw visited the historic Jamalpur Rail Factory, announcing a major development initiative worth Rs 350 crore in the first phase to transform the facility into a Centre of Excellence.

He inspected the ongoing redevelopment work at the station under the Amrit Bharat Yojana and later reached the factory, where he officially handed over the iconic 140-tonne crane to Indian Railways.

Vaishnaw also laid the foundation stone for a Rs 78.96 crore project aimed at enhancing the capacity for wagon Periodic Overhaul (POH) in Jamalpur.

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