Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal today indicated that his ambitious plan to convert Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus into a museum-cum-railway station is still alive.
The proposal was turned down by Prime Minister Narendra Modi a few days back, ministry sources said.
When asked about media reports about the opposition to the proposal from the Railway Board and the prime minister, Goyal said, "It is all speculation."
The Union minister was speaking to reporters after ending his day-long fast over wash-out of the Budget session.
"We want only a part of the CSMT building, the second floor, to house the museum. Already there is a railway museum in the building," he said.
The terminal was built over 10 years, starting in 1878. Designed on late medieval Italian models, it was elevated to the status of a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004.
As per the ministry sources, at a meeting attended by Goyal and senior Railway Board members on March 26, Modi questioned the logic behind the project to convert it into a railway station-cum museum.
Sources said the Railway Board was also against Goyal's proposal, which could displace a lot of employees.
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