The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on Wednesday approved five railway and highway projects worth ~13,041 crore. These projects aim to increase infrastructure capacity in West Bengal, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Bihar.
Railway projects dominate the approved list, with an estimated cost of around ~9,450 crore. These projects include construction of a 173 kilometre (km) between Kharagpur in West Bengal and Bhadrak (Ranital) in Odisha, 75 km between Bhadrak and Haridaspur in Odisha, 90 km third and fourth lines between Gummidipundi in Andhra Pradesh and Gudur in Tamil Nadu, and 72 km third and fourth lines between Cuttack and Paradeep (Badabandha) in Odisha.
The cabinet also approved the upgradation of the Muzaffarpur-Sitamarhi-Sonbarsa Section of National Highway (NH)-22 in Bihar to four lanes. The 82-km project will be developed on Hybrid Annuity Mode (HAM) at a total capital cost of ~3590.73 crore.
Under HAM, the government will pay 40 per cent of the project cost to the developer upfront, while the remaining two-thirds will be paid over a concession period (typically 15-20 years) in annuities with interest.
The four rail multi-tracking projects will increase the existing network of Indian Railways by about 410 km. Notably, these are projects on one segment of the golden quadrilateral – the East-South, or Howrah-Chennai high density network.
The proposed multi-tracking projects will enhance connectivity to approximately 6,448 villages, which are having a population of about 6 million, a cabinet statement said.
The projects are essential routes for major bulk commodities like coal, iron ore, cement, iron and steel, containers, automobiles, and food grains. The capacity augmentation works will result in additional freight traffic of magnitude 76 million tonnes per annum, the cabinet said.
The NH-22 augmentation is expected to improve the feeder corridor for the India-Nepal border at Sonbarsa with economic centres like Muzaffarpur at NH-27 (East–West corridor). “The project will significantly reduce congestion in densely populated areas of Muzaffarpur, Muksudpur, Runni Saidpur, Thumma, Dumra, Bhutahi, and Sonbarsa,” the cabinet said.
The rail expansion projects will also enhance connectivity to several prominent tourist destinations across the country, including Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary, Bhitarkanika National Park, Maa Bhadrakali temple, Maa Dhamarai temple, Panchalingeswar Temple, Talsari–Udaypur and Chandipur Beach, Pulicat Lake, Nelapattu Bird Sanctuary, Lord Veeraraghava Perumal Temple, Gada Kujanga Jagannath Temple, Sarala Temple, Dhabaleswar Temple, Lalitgiri (a Buddhist site).
The stretch is in synergy with existing corridors such as NH-31 and NH-122 and enhances connectivity to industrial zones like Barauni and riverine logistics hubs along the Ganga. It also enhances cross-border passenger and cargo movement via the nearby Land Port at Bhithamore.
