The 56th meeting of the Network Planning Group (NPG) that met under PM GatiShakti on Wednesday cleared six project proposals — four related to the ministry of road transport and highways (MoRTH) worth ₹45,000 crore and two rail ministry projects worth ₹6,700 crore, it said.

The union cabinet on October 21, 2021 approved the PM GatiShakti NMP, which is executed through a three-layer institutional mechanism – the Empowered Group of Secretaries (EGOS), the Network Planning Group (NPG) and the Technical Support Unit (TSU). The cabinet set up the institutional framework for rolling out, implementation, monitoring and support mechanism for providing multi-modal connectivity as announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 13, 2023.

The NPG, which met under the chairpersonship of special secretary – logistics at the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) on Wednesday, approved four road projects, the statement said.

The first one of a greenfield road project in Gujarat and Maharashtra covering Navsari, Nashik, and Ahmednagar districts. The statement said the project is expected to contribute to the overall socio-economic development of tribal districts such as Navsari, Valsad and Nashik by providing easy and convenient connectivity. It will also benefit the tourism sector in the region and will connect aspirational districts such as Osmanabad.

The second project, also a greenfield development in Gujarat, covers Banaskantha, Patan, Mahesana, Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad. It will connect Amritsar-Jamnagar economic corridor with Ahmedabad and Vadodara and will integrate with other modes of transportation, thereby contributing to the promotion and usage of multi-modality in the region, it said.

The third road project is located in Bihar and involves four-laning of Patna-Arrah-Sasaram corridor under Bharatmala Pariyojna. “The project is expected to bring in socio-economic development in left-wing extremism (LWE) affected districts, including tribal areas,” the statement said. The project will provide seamless connectivity for the traffic coming from UP through Purvanchal Expressway and going towards Jharkhand and Patna. It will also integrate the waterways in the region, it added.

The fourth road project cleared at the meeting is located in Uttar Pradesh and seeks to improve the interstate connectivity among Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, it said.

The two railway projects assessed by NPG are located in Odisha and Kerala. The greenfield railway line project of Odisha passes through Ganjam, Nayagarh, Khandhamal, Boudh, Sambalpur and Angul districts. It will connect the industrial and mineral clusters of western Odisha with the East Coast port, it said. Additionally, the industrial clusters in eastern Chhattisgarh will also get a shorter port connectivity with the East Coast.

“This railway line is expected to bring overall socio-economic development in the tribal belts of Kandhamal and Boudh districts and will open up opportunities for new industrial corridors along the proposed line,” it said.

The project in Kerala involves doubling of railway lines as the proposed augmentation of infrastructure will improve the quality of rail movement in a highly stressed corridor of Southern Railways. Additionally, it will reduce travel time both for goods as well as passenger trains, it added.

“Exciting news! Hindustan Times is now on WhatsApp Channels Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!” Click here!