 "Ashwini Vaishnaw, Ashwini, Vaishnaw, Railway minister")
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw (File Photo: PTI)
The Union Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on Monday approved a new railway line between Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh worth Rs 18,036 crore, which will connect Manmad and Indore.
“The project has strategic importance and has been in the works for a long time. The line will allow Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and agricultural districts of Maharashtra connectivity with Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA),” Union Minister for Railways, Electronics and Information Technology, and Information and Broadcasting Ashwini Vaishnaw said during a press conference.
The project has been planned with social and industrial needs in accordance with the Pradhan Mantri GatiShakti framework.
The project will promote tourism in the region by providing a shorter route between the western/south-western part of the country and Central India, according to a statement by the Cabinet.
This will increase tourist footfall to various tourist/religious places in the Ujjain–Indore region, including the Shri Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga Temple.
“The project will provide direct connectivity to the Pithampur Auto Cluster (which houses 90 large units and 700 small and medium industries) from the gateway port of JNPA and other state ports. The project will also provide direct connectivity to millet-producing districts of Madhya Pradesh and onion-producing districts of Maharashtra, which further facilitates the distribution of the same to northern and southern parts of the country,” the Cabinet statement said.
The project will create 10.2 million man-days of employment, Vaishnaw said.
The railway line, which, according to Vaishnaw, was a key electoral demand during the Madhya Pradesh assembly elections, covers six districts and will increase the existing network of Indian Railways by about 309 km.
The construction of the project will entail 30 new stations, providing enhanced connectivity to the aspirational district of Barwani.
The new line is estimated to provide connectivity to approximately 1,000 villages and about 3 million people.
So far, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government elected in June has sanctioned infrastructure projects worth Rs 2.5 trillion in the first 85 days of coming to power, he added.
According to the Centre, this is an essential route for the transportation of commodities such as agricultural products, fertilisers, containers, iron ore, steel, cement, POL, etc.
The capacity augmentation work will result in additional freight traffic of about 26 MTPA (million tonnes per annum). The railways, being an environment-friendly and energy-efficient mode of transportation, will help in achieving climate goals and minimising the logistics cost of the country, reduce oil import (18 crore litres), and lower CO2 emissions (138 crore kg), which is equivalent to the plantation of 5.5 crore trees, according to the statement.
First Published: Sep 02 2024 | 7:09 PM IS