The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the two major infra projects in Bihar worth Rs 7616 crore. The first project is the construction of a four-lane greenfield access-controlled Mokama-Munger section of the Buxar-Bhagalpur High-Speed Corridor, with a cost of Rs 4447.38 crore. The second project is the doubling of the Bhagalpur – Dumka – Rampurhat single railway line Section (177 km) in Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal with a total cost of Rs 3,169 crore (approx.).
Nitin Nabin, Minister for Road Construction Department, Government of Bihar said, “We thank the Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji, Hon’ble Road, Transport and Highways Minister Shri Nitin Gadkari Ji for approving the construction of 4-lane greenfield access-controlled Mokama-Munger section of the Buxar-Bhagalpur High-Speed Corridor in Bihar.”
He added, “While this will help in reducing the commute time to 1.5 hours, it will also give a boost to the industries along the corridor, which includes Mokama, Barahiya, Lakhisarai, Jamalpur, Munger and Bhagalpur, adding to the employment, growth and development of the region. The double engine government is steadfast in its commitment to the development of Bihar.”
Highway corridor construction
The four-lane corridor will be constructed under Hybrid Annuity Mode (HAM) with a total project length of 82.4 km. The industrial activity surge in the Munger-Jamalpur belt in eastern Bihar can be attributed as a major reason for the investment boost by the government. The section of Mokama-Munger provides connectivity to important regional cities, including Mokama, Barahiya, Lakhisarai, Jamalpur, Munger, and further connecting to Bhagalpur.
The industries, such as the Ordinance Factory (Existing gun factory and 1 more proposed as part of the Ordnance Factory Corridor by M/o Defence), locomotive workshop (in Jamalpur), food processing (e.g., ITC in Munger), and related logistics and warehousing hubs, have been the centre of attraction.
The industrial activity also includes Bhagalpur, which has emerged as a textile and logistics hub, led by Bhagalpuri silk (details of the proposed textile ecosystem in Bhagalpur. Barahiya is emerging as a region for food packaging, processing, and agro-warehousing.
The surge in economic activity in the region is likely to boost freight movement and the traffic on the Mokama-Munger section in the future. However, the four-lane access-controlled corridor will reduce the overall travel time to approximately 1.5 hours. The time reduction is supported by average vehicular speeds of 80 km/h with a design speed of 100 km/h. The proposed project will generate around 14.83 lakh man-days of direct employment and 18.46 lakh man-days of indirect employment, according to the government estimates.
Doubling of a single railway line
Notably, the Cabinet Committee also approved the doubling of the Bhagalpur – Dumka – Rampurhat single railway line Section (177 km) in Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal with a total cost of Rs 3,169 crore (approx.). The project aims to improve mobility, providing enhanced efficiency and service reliability for Indian Railways.
According to the government, “The multi-tracking proposal will ease operations and reduce congestion, providing the much-needed infrastructural development on the busiest sections across Indian Railways. The projects are in line with the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modiji’s vision of a New India, which will make people of the region “Atmanirbhar” by way of comprehensive development in the area, which will enhance their employment/ self-employment opportunities.”