In the run up to the Bihar assembly elections, the Cabinet on Wednesday approved infrastructure projects in the state worth Rs 6,014 crore, including the doubling of the 104-km Bakhtiyarpur-Tilaiya single railway line section, and construction of 7.9 km Sahebganj-Bettiah section of the NH-139W.
Railways to Boost Freight and Tourism
The proposed rail project is an essential route for transportation of commodities such as coal, cement, clinker, and fly ash. The multi-tracking project will augment the freight capacity of the railways by 26 MTPA (million tonnes per annum), and will enhance connectivity to 1,434 villages and about 1.35 million population.
The Rs 2,192-crore railways project is planned on PM-Gati Shakti National Master Plan with focus on enhancing multi-modal connectivity and logistic efficiency through integrated planning and stakeholder consultations. “Project section also provides rail connectivity to prominent destinations such as Rajgir (Shanti Stupa), Nalanda, Pawapuri etc. attracting pilgrims and tourists from across the country,” the official statement said.
Faster Road Travel with Greenfield Highway
The Cabinet’s approval for the construction of four-lane greenfield highway project is aimed at improving the connectivity between Patna and Bettiah. The proposed greenfield alignment will support average vehicular speeds of 80 kilometre per hour (kmph) against the design speed of 100 kmph. This will reduce the overall travel time between Sahebganj and Bettiah from 2.5 hours to 1 hour while offering safe, fast and uninterrupted connectivity for both passenger and freight vehicles.
The Rs 3,822-crore road project will connect seven PM Gati Shakti economic nodes, six social nodes, eight logistic nodes, nine major tourism and religious centers by improving access to key heritage and Buddhist tourist sites.
On September 10, the cabinet committee on economic affairs (CCEA) had given nod for the construction of a section of the high-speed corridor and a rail project worth Rs 7616 crore in poll-bound Bihar.