PM GatiShakti: 56th Network Planning Group evaluates Rs 52,000 crore worth of infrastructure projects

New Delhi: In the 56th Network Planning Group (NPG) meeting held under the PM Gati Shakti initiative, six infrastructure projects were assessed.
These projects included four roadways and two railways, amounting to a total project cost of approximately Rs 52,000 Crore, read the Ministry of Commerce and Industry press release.
The meeting, chaired by Sumita Dawra, Special Secretary, Logistics, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), took place at the Yashobhoomi Convention Center in New Delhi.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) presented four road projects during the meeting, demonstrating their alignment with GatiShakti principles, read the press release.
These projects encompass a Greenfield Road in Gujarat and Maharashtra, expected to benefit industrial belts and agricultural sectors, as well as contribute to the socio-economic development of tribal districts.
The second Greenfield Road project, located in Gujarat, will connect the Amritsar-Jamnagar economic corridor with Ahmedabad and Vadodara, fostering multi-modality in the region, read the press release.
In Bihar, a project involving the construction of the 4-laning of the Patna-Arrah-Sasaram corridor under Bharatmala Pariyojna aims to enhance socio-economic development, particularly in Left-wing Extremism (LWE) affected districts and tribal areas.
In Uttar Pradesh, a road project seeks to improve interstate connectivity among Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand.
Additionally, the meeting evaluated two railway project proposals with a total project cost of approximately Rs 6700 Crore. One of these projects, a Greenfield railway line in Odisha, will connect industrial and mineral clusters in western Odisha with the East Coast port, facilitating socio-economic development in tribal belts, read the press release.
The second railway project, located in Kerala, involves the doubling of railway lines, improving rail movement quality and reducing travel time for both goods and passenger trains.
These projects are expected to benefit aspirational and tribal districts, providing opportunities for industrial development in these regions.
The meeting saw active participation from senior officials of various government departments and ministries, highlighting the importance of embracing PM GatiShakti guidelines to promote multimodal connectivity and foster both economic and social development, read the press release.
Discussions during the meeting emphasized the advantages of using the PM GatiShakti National Master Plan (NMP) portal for project planning, noting its effectiveness in cost and time savings.
The portal enables digital surveys, resulting in reduced time for DPR preparation, route optimization, and improved last/first-mile connectivity planning, read the release.
Furthermore, these projects are well-integrated with other modes of transportation, promoting multi-modality and reflecting an area development approach to ensure holistic socio-economic upliftment.
The NPG's evaluation of these projects reaffirms the significance of PM Gati Shakti in optimizing infrastructure planning and fostering seamless integration across diverse transportation modes.