The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday approved five infrastructure projects including proposal of Airports Authority of India (AAI) for development of a new Civil Enclave at Bagdgora Airport, Siliguri, West Bengal and Bihta, Patna, Bihar at an estimated cost of ₹1,549 crore and ₹1,413 crore, respectively.
The proposed Terminal Building at Bagdogra spans 70,390 sqm and is designed to accommodate 3,000 Peak Hour Passengers (PHP), with an annual capacity to handle 10 million passengers, the government said.
Key components of the project include the construction of an Apron capable of accommodating 10 parking bays suitable for A-321 type aircraft, as well as two link taxiways and Multi-Level Car Parking, said Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister of Information Technology and I&B in a briefing after the Cabinet meeting.
“This development is poised to significantly enhance Bagdogra Airport’s operational efficiency and passenger experience, reinforcing its role as a pivotal air travel hub for the region,” he said.
Similarly, for Patna, the infrastructure project represents a strategic move to address the anticipated saturation of capacity at Patna Airport. The proposed new Integrated Terminal Building at Bihta Airport spans 66,000 sqm and is designed to handle 3,000 PHP and annually cater to 50 lakh passengers. This will be further expanded by another 50-akh whenever it is required and ultimate capacity would be one crore passengers per annum.
Pune Metro
The Cabinet has also approved Pune Metro Phase-1 project extension towards south from Swargate to Katraj spanning 5.46 km at total completion cost of Rs. 2954.53 crore, to be operational by February 2029.
This new extension is known as the Line-l B extension and will include three underground stations, connecting key areas such as Market Yard, Bibwewadi, Balaji Nagar, and the Katraj suburbs.
Similarly, Thane integral Ring Metro Rail Project has been approved with an estimated total cost of Rs.12,200 crore to be operational by 2029. Total length of the ring corridor is 29-km (26 km Elevated and 3 km underground) and includes 22 Stations and will connect prominent areas like Naupada, Wagle Estate, Dongripada, Hiranandani Estate, Kolshet, Saket etc.
Further, the Cabinet approved two corridors of Bangalore Metro Rail Project Phase-3 for 44.65 km with 31 stations at a total estimated cost of Rs.15,611 crore to be operational by 2029.
Corridor-1 from JP Nagar 4th Phase to Kempapura along Outer Ring Road West for a length of 32.15 Km with 21 stations. On operationalisation of Phase-3, Bengaluru city will have 220.20 Km of active Metro Rail Network.
The Phase-3 acts as a major expansion of the Metro Rail Network in the city and will add around 44.65 Km of new metro lines, connecting the western part of the city of Bengaluru that were previously underserved.
It will integrate key areas of the city which includes Peenya Industrial Area, IT industries on Bannerghatta road and Outer Ring Road, Textile and Engineering items Manufacturing units on Tumkuru Road and ORR, Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), Major educational institutions like PES University, Ambedkar College, Polytechnic College, KLE College, Dayanandsagar University, ITI etc, a government statement said.
“Within a short time, frame since June this year, in the initial few meetings of the Cabinet, around ₹1.54 lakh crore (₹1,54,381 crore) infrastructure projects have been approved. And, including today’s (Friday) approvals, it has reached around ₹2 lakh crore (₹1,88,108.5 crore) worth of projects. There have been other small projects too which have been approved out of the Cabinet. So overall, such projects will generate more employment opportunities and economic growth,” Vaishnaw added.