Architect Hafeez offers to design 19 Railway Stations for free
Noted architect Hafeez Contractor has reportedly offered to design 19 stations across the country, including several in Mumbai free of charge, as part of a redevelopment project being rolled out by the Railways. An official of the Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation Limited (IRSDC) has confirmed it. Among the Mumbai stations, the architect has offered to redesign - Dadar, Parel, Wadala, Bandra and Khar.
First off, who is Hafeez Contractor?
Hafeez Contractor, who started practising in 1982, has impacted the skyline of much of the built environment of metropolitan India. He has a dedication to design excellence, efficient delivery and sophistication in building technology. Contractor heads the largest architectural firm in India, with over 550 team members, comprising of architects, urban/town planners, interior designers, landscape artists, civil engineers, CAD operators, 3D and graphic designers.
Contractor among four who offered to redesign the stations
Sanjeev Kumar Lohia, Managing Director, and CEO of the IRSDC, the nodal agency for redeveloping 600 Railway Stations, said Contractor was among four who had offered to design railway stations free of cost. "We had an open invitation for professionals to work pro-bono for developing concepts and master plans for redevelopment of stations. Hafeez Contractor has shown an interest in 19 stations," Lohia said.
Pro-bono offer is way of "helping my country": Contractor
Adding that the corporation had received such offers from another noted architect and two firms, Lohia said that no designs have been finalized yet. "It is at a preliminary stage," he said. Contractor, a Padma Bhushan awardee, recently had discussions with Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal and said that the pro-bono offer was his way of "helping my country".
What Hafeez Contractor had to say about the offer
Adding that the country suffers when a "lousy job" is done, Contractor said, "Normally, what happens is that all government jobs are given to those who quote the lowest tenders, who then do a lousy job. This is my way of helping the country."
