Ballia rly station introduces premium retail outlet

Lucknow: Ballia railway station under the North Eastern Railway zone has set up a premium branded store in line with the railway board's policy. The store, scheduled to open on Tuesday, will provide passengers with access to quality apparel and a more modern retail space within the station premises."During a detailed survey at Ballia, passengers expressed a clear preference for a multi-branded apparel outlet within station premises. Acting on this demand, an underutilized section of an old waiting hall was identified and repurposed for the project," said senior divisional commercial manager (Sr DCM), Sheikh Sami Ur Rahman. He added, "To ensure transparency and efficiency, an e-auction was conducted in Jan, securing a license fee of Rs 4.40 lakh per annum for the railways—all without incurring any development cost. The licensee completed the store's construction in just 52 days, demonstrating a strong public-private partnership model focused on revenue generation and improved passenger experience." TNN