Three projects each proposed by the Ministries of Railways and Road Transport & Highways, with a total project cost of over ₹28,000 crore, were evaluated and recommended by the National Planning Group under the PM’s Gati Shakti Mission in a meeting on Wednesday.

“These projects are expected to improve the connectivity to various villages and key industrial business hubs by bypassing congested and highly populated areas and reduce travel time. The proposed projects are also expected to expand business avenues and generate employment opportunities for local people,” according to an official release issued by the Commerce & Industry Ministry on Thursday.

One railway project, Barbil-Nayagarh-Barsuan and Bhadrasahi- Kiriburu, with a total project cost of ₹12,532.87 crore, connecting the existing stations Barbil, Barsuan and Kiriburu of South Eastern Railway and Nayagarh of East Coast Railway was assessed by the NPG on Gati Shakti principles of Area Development Approach, the release said. This Railway alignment connects the major mines of Sundargarh and Keonjhar district of Odisha State and Paschimi Singhbhum district of Jharkhand.

The NPG also assessed the proposed Malkangiri to Bhadrachalam railway line which has an estimated project cost of ₹3591.76 crore. It pans across the states of Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana and will open a new corridor connecting South Central Railway (Pandurangapuram) to East Coast Railway (Junagarh). “It is also expected to reduce the distance between deep seaports of Andhra Pradesh to mines and industries in southern Odisha. Area Development Approach on PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan was highlighted for development of connectivity to both commercial and social infrastructure,” it said.

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