NEW DELHI: The government on Wednesday approved five infrastructure projects with a combined investment of Rs 13,041 crore. They include four railway multi-tracking projects and an 82.5 kilometre, four-lane highway project in Bihar. The aim of these projects is to expand transport capacity, ease congestion and improve freight and passenger movement, the government said.
The decisions were taken at a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said after the meeting that the four railway projects would entail an investment of Rs 9,450 crore, while the four-lane Muzaffarpur-Sonbarsa highway in Bihar would cost Rs 3,590.73 crore.
The Railway projects will add around 410 kilometres of additional track capacity in West Bengal, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, strengthening the Howrah-Chennai corridor and other important freight and passenger routes. The projects are scheduled for completion by 2030-31.
The approved routes include a 173-kilometre fourth line between Kharagpur in West Bengal and Bhadrak (Ranital) in Odisha; a 75-kilometre fourth line between Bhadrak and Haridaspur in Odisha; 90 kilometres of third and fourth lines between Gummidipundi in Andhra Pradesh and Gudur in Tamil Nadu; and 72 kilometres of third and fourth lines between Cuttack and Paradeep (Badabandha) in Odisha.
The Railway Ministry said that the additional capacity would improve train mobility, operational efficiency and service reliability, while reducing congestion on heavily used routes. The projects are also expected to strengthen multimodal connectivity and logistics efficiency through coordinated planning involving various stakeholders.
Together, the four railway projects will cover eight districts and improve connectivity to around 6,448 villages with a combined population of nearly 60 lakh.
They are also expected to provide better rail access to several tourism and cultural destinations, including Bhitarkanika National Park, Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary, Chandipur beach, Pulicat lake, Nelapattu Bird Sanctuary, Panchalingeswar temple, Dhabaleswar temple, Lalitgiri and other religious and heritage sites.
For Bihar, the Cabinet approved the 82.5-kilometre Muzaffarpur-Sonbarsa four-lane highway, designed to provide a faster link between Muzaffarpur on NH-27 and the India-Nepal border at Sonbarsa. The project is expected to improve access to the expanding national highway network and strengthen links between border areas and major economic centres.
The government said the highway would help ease congestion in densely populated areas along the route, including Muzaffarpur, Muksudpur, Runni Saidpur, Thumma, Dumra, Bhutahi and Sonbarsa. Vaishnaw said the project has been planned in line with the PM GatiShakti National Master Plan.