With a view to give a shape to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ambitious Gati Shakti Yojana in time-bound manner, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav has made preparations for the formation of a separate directorate named Gati Shakti in the Railway Board (Rail Bhawan). The Directorate of Gati Shakti will primarily look after the work of DPR, feasibility report, appraisal, implementation etc. of infrastructure projects across the country.

Railway Board officials said that the third floor of the Ministry of Railways, located at Rail Bhawan, will be the headquarters of the Directorate of Gati Shakti. Top officers of this directorate will be additional member level officers of the Railway Board. An economist will be appointed under him including traffic, signal and telecom, electric, finance, civil engineering. There are now 25 directorates in the Railway Board including Gati Shakti.

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He said the directorate is likely to start functioning in a day or two. The official said apart from the top level in Rail Bhawan, it has been decided to constitute Gati Shakti Cell at the division level. In the initial phase, Gati Shakti Cell will be set up at Khurda, Delhi, Bilaspur, Bangalore. It will be expanded later.

These cells will work under DRM. Under him, chief engineer level officers of all departments will work on the model of the Railway Board. He said the officers of Delhi who will be appointed in the said divisions. Delhi house will not be taken from them. Apart from this, other facilities will be provided to them. Gati Shakti, the new directorate and the infrastructure projects to become a cell will be placed on fast track.