Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA), an organisation under the Ministry of Railways, has embraced a digital model to ensure seamless operations during the lockdown triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic.

It has invited bids for leasing various land parcels and is conducting pre-bid meetings via video conferencing. Initially, for two RFQs (request for qualifications) for development of Dehradun Railway Station and Tirupati Railway station, pre-bid meetings are proposed to be done online.

“As a responsible organisation, we stand with the government and will conduct all pre-bid meetings through video conferencing to fight this pandemic. All queries of the stakeholders shall be answered on the spot through video conferencing or later by e-mail. We are committed to ensuring seamless operations by extensive use of digital technology and shall be implementing the e-filing system shortly for smooth functioning,” Ved Parkash Dudeja, Vice-Chairman, Rail Land Development Authority, said in a statement.

RLDA is a statutory body under the Ministry of Railways entrusted with the task of development of vacant Railway land for commercial use. This is in line with the objective to generate revenue by non-tariff measures. Currently, Indian Railway has approximately 43,000 hectares of vacant land across India.