January 25, 2025: Three infrastructure projects of roads and railways worth Rs 9,600 crore were recommended for approval under the PM Gati Shakti initiative today, according to a statement issued by the ministry of commerce & industry.
The 64th Network Planning Group (NPG) meeting was convened on January 23 2024, under the chairpersonship of Sumita Dawra, special secretary, logistics at Indian Railways Institute of Financial Management (IRIFM), Secunderabad.
New BG line between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh States
The proposed project includes a broad-gauge line between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh states to integrate new commercial and tourist areas. This project aims to enhance multimodal connectivity, increase capacity for both freight and passenger trains, and provide faster rail connectivity between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. In addition, the project will increase employment, and tourism, and will reduce traffic congestion at major junctions. The Area-Development Approach has been integrated into project planning for enhancing last-mile connectivity, duly taking into account synergies with ports of Andhra Pradesh.
New Region Ring Road under Bharatmala Pariyojana
The proposed construction of a New Region Ring Road (RRR) in Odisha aims to smoothen the movement of freight between Chennai and Kolkata. It aims to provide multimodal connectivity to economic nodes such as economic corridors, industrial parks, mineral and mining zones, good sheds, etc. as well as logistics and social nodes. It bypasses major towns in Odisha, avoiding traffic congestion in the cities and enhancing logistics efficiency by reducing travel time by 37.5%.
Four laning of NH-727 in Uttar Pradesh
Another significant project discussed in the meeting was the proposed four-laning of the NH-727 in Uttar Pradesh. Upon completion, the project will provide improved connectivity to Buddha Circuit Route, 2 social, 3 industrial parks and 4 economic nodes such as fishing, seafood and textile clusters, and 11 logistics nodes, including the Amrit Bharat Railway Stations, and airports. This is expected to increase cross-border trade, stimulate socio-economic development, and improve road connectivity to economic centres, industrial zones, and agricultural regions, industrial parks, etc. thereby boosting economic activities, trade, and investments. The project’s success is anticipated to also spur the growth of ancillary infrastructure, including warehouses, distribution centers, and logistics hubs, and create opportunities for new services such as roadside amenities, gas stations, and rest areas to cater to increased traffic and travel demand.
Rail infrastructure for logistics growth
The significance of rail infrastructure in sustaining the Indian economy’s growth to Rs 5 trillion and meeting logistics market growth of 8464 million metric tonnes by 2031 was also emphasized in the meeting. To meet the logistics need for cargo movement as a result of growth in the Indian economy, Indian Railways has proposed to increase rail modal share to 35% by 2031. This will reduce India’s logistics costs and oil imports. Additionally, three economic corridors have been planned to make a positive impact on employment, contribute to sustainable development goals, and have a multiplier effect on the economy’s output. These include the Energy, Mineral, and Cement Corridors, the High Traffic Density Routes and the Rail Sagar Corridors.
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