PM Gati Shakti Drives Infrastructural Transformation With 85 Major Projects This Fiscal

The Network Planning Group (NPG) under PM GatiShakti, has recommended five projects worth Rs 15,683 crore from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, in its 51st meeting.

These projects — located in Mizoram, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, and Kanpur — aim to improve connectivity to industrial clusters and social sector assets.

They also aim to enhance logistics efficiency by streamlining freight traffic movement and reducing congestion in cities.

Five Connectivity Projects Recommended by The NPG

The proposed Greenfield Twin Tube Uni-directional Aizawl Bypass Tunnel, part of Bharatmala Pariyojna-2, will significantly improve regional connectivity.

Spanning 2.5 km, it will enhance the link between Sittwe port in Myanmar and the North East Region, while also providing improved access to economic centres and important social sector assets in Sairang, Aizawl, and beyond.

Further, it includes two capacity augmentation projects in Maharashtra — the Nashik Phata to Khed alignment and Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj Palkhi Marg.

These have been assessed for their impact on connectivity to economic centres, religious and tourist destinations, industrial clusters, and defense assets. The projects have been planned using the National Masterplan (NMP) Portal.

In Uttarakhand, a proposed construction project aims to mitigate the impact of landslides, sinking zones, and bridges.

This project is crucial for ensuring year-round connectivity across various parts of the Garhwal region, including industrial locations like Karnprayag and Gaucher.

The construction of 6-lane bypass/ring roads around Kanpur under Bharatmala will reduce travel distance, save time, decrease fuel consumption, and decongest the.

It aims provide direct connectivity between the Lucknow Kanpur Expressway, NH-19, and Chakeri Airport.

Progress Of PM Gati Shakti NMP

The PM GatiShakti NMP was launched in October 2021 with the objectives of holistically integrating the interventions of various ministries and addressing the gaps to ensure infrastructure for seamless movement of people, goods and services.

According to a senior official, as of this fiscal year, a total of 85 major infrastructure projects worth Rs 5.4 lakh crore from various ministries have been recommended for approval under the initiative.

There are 34 approved projects from railways, 31 from roads and transport, one from new and renewable energy, four from oil and gas, and eight from the Housing and Urban Affairs ministry.

These projects have been suggested by the NPG, which has conducted 51 meetings so far.

The NPG is composed of representatives from various connectivity infrastructure ministries and departments.

These representatives include the heads of the network planning division, and their purpose is to ensure unified planning and integration of the proposals.

All logistics and connectivity infrastructure projects requiring investments of over Rs 500 crore are directed through the NPG.

Before creating a detailed project report (DPR) at the planning stage, all departments must seek approval from the NPG.

The NMP also has a digital component in the form of a GIS platform, which integrates the geospatial data related to the infrastructure in the country and planning portals of various ministries and departments.

Through the portal, the time taken to create a DPR has been reduced from six months. This improvement has been beneficial in expediting the planning process, according to Sumita Dawra, special secretary in the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT).

The portal offers access to over 1,460 layers of data, covering various aspects such as land, ports, forest, and highways.