100 projects worth INR 5.89 trillion have been approved by the Network Planning Group of the PM Gati Shakti Master Plan, a senior official aware of the matter informed. He further said, that 40 of these road projects worth INR 3.65 trillion, 40 railway projects worth INR 95,704 crore and eight are urban development projects worth INR 79,016 crore have also been given the go-ahead.
The inter-ministerial Network Planning Group comprising representatives of all infrastructure ministries meet every fortnight and appraises infrastructure projects to ensure multimodality, synchronisation of efforts, and comprehensive development in and around the project location. The group ensures that their planning conforms to the objectives of the Gati Shakti Master Plan.
Any infrastructure projects that is estimated over INR 500 crore requires a go-ahead from the NPG. The approval of the NPG is required before the project is cleared by the Public Investment Board (PIB) or department of expenditure.
The NGP recommended projects at large comprises of roads, railways and urban development spaces.
Till date, the ministry of road transport and highways has planned more than 1,400 km of roads and the ministry of Railways has planned over 13,000 km of track length using the National Master Plan (NMP), Sumita Dawra, Special Secretary (logistics), Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade said.
The National Master Plan (NMP) streamlines diverse layers of geospatial data, encompassing both physical and social infrastructure as well as land records, into a singular comprehensive resource. This resource has been meticulously crafted to expedite planning processes and enhance design quality, thereby optimizing the outcomes of investments.
With the entirety of existing infrastructure data at hand, the process of conceiving new projects in conjunction with the existing framework becomes notably simpler. This approach facilitates the anticipation and resolution of potential construction-related challenges. Furthermore, it empowers project design to wield the utmost influence within a given area.
The Ministry of Railways has reported remarkable acceleration in finalizing location surveys. Over the course of FY22, 427 surveys were concluded, in stark contrast to the 57 completed in the preceding year.
Dawra noted, ” In case of detailed route survey done by the ministry of petroleum and natural gas, it used to take six to nine months to prepare 46 reports manually. But now using NMP through electronic DRS, with the click of a button the reports get created, which has made the process simpler and faster.” The collaborative inputs from various ministries ensure that a project harmonizes with both existing and planned infrastructure within the region. This alignment is pivotal to extracting the optimal value from the proposed investment.
Launched in 2021, the Gati Shakti Master Plan fosters synchronized planning and execution of diverse infrastructure projects. This orchestration facilitates seamless integration between projects, thereby magnifying their collective impact. The plan spans an array of domains, including industrial corridors, roads, railways, ports, telecom, urban development, petroleum pipelines, renewable energy, and the social sector.
