Two Maharashtra railway stations adjudged 'most beautiful'

Mumbai, May 3 (IANS) Decorated with paintings, murals and sculptures of tigers, local jungles and other wildlife, Chandrapur and Ballarshah stations in the Nagpur Division of Central Railway have been adjudged "Most Beautiful Station" on Indian Railways, an official said on Thursday.

The two stations pipped 62 entries from 11 Zones of Indian Railways to stand first and will be awarded Rs 10 lakh in prizes.

The project to beautify the Chandrapur station was implemented with help from the Chandrapur and Ballarshah District Collectors, Forest Department and the students of Government Fine Arts College of Nagpur, said Central Railway's Chief Spokesperson Sunil Udasi.

"Passengers can now have a feel of the rich wildlife beauty of the Tadoba forests and the local culture inside the railway station premises itself on wall paintings, sculptures, etc., which have become very popular with the passengers," Udasi said.

Huge efforts went into making the two railway stations stand apart from the rest, including fibre casting for relief work and round sculptures, which are both effective and long-lasting. Inaccessible spots were printed on vinyl sheets, installations carried out in metal, fibre, iron-fabricated structure, siporex stones, etc., to create a veritable forest environment.

Besides, mosaic tiles were used for infusing lots of colour as they can resist extreme weather conditions and do not fade over a long period. In some areas requiring multiple layers, woodwork was used, and oil and acrylic were used for the wall paintings, cartoons and other attractions for children.

Central Railway General Manager D.K. Sharma has lauded the efforts of the Divisional Railway Manager, Nagpur Division, and his team for their achievement which has brought smiles to the passengers after a long journey and bagged the top awards.

Some striking artworks that grab passengers' attention is the full-length of two staircases -- one painted with two pouncing tigers and another with a peacock spreading open its colourful tail, a jungle scene of tiger hunting a deer portrayed on a wall, a peacock peacefully resting on a tree branch and a monkey nursing its baby, among others, on the entire area of both the stations.