Improving India’s Travel Infrastructure

Bogibeel bridge over Brahmaputra river: India’s longest rail-cum-road bridge is about to be readied over the Brahmaputra river. The 4.94km long bridge in Arunachal Pradesh and near Dibrugarh in Assam, that was approved in 1996, was taken up for construction about two decades later, by the Modi government. It is expected to be completed by the end of 2017 now. The government plans to convert all meter-gauge tracks to broad-gauge in the North Easter states.

The Bogibeel bridge will connect Bogibeel in the South of the Brahmaputra and Silapathar on Assam-Arunchal Pradesh border. It will strengthen the road and rail connectivity of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh tremendously.

Chenab Bridge: the world’s highest railway bridge is coming up in Jammu and Kashmir over Chenab river. The bridge that will use 35,000 tonnes of steel and will be 35 metres taller than the Eiffel Tower, will be built at a cost of Rs 1,100Cr. Arch-shaped and 1.315km long, it is expected to endure the speed of wind upto 260kmph. The bridge will be 359 metres above the river bed and when ready, will connect Bakkal and Kauri areas. It will be an important link for the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail link project. Expected to be an engineering marvel, the bridge will be completed by 2019.

The bridge will have sensors to check the velocity of the wind. Once it exceeds 90kmph, the signals on the tracks will go red and train movement will be stopped. It is expected that the explosion-resistant and corrosion-resistant bridge will become a tourist destination leading to economic development of the state. It will also have a ropeway to ease inspection process.

Char Dham Highway Development Project (Char Dham Mahamarg Vikas Pariyojna): This proposed two-lane project has been undertaken to improve connectivity of the Char Dham (Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri) pilgrimage centres of the Himalayas. About 900km long national highways will be constructed to connect the four pilgrimage towns in Uttarakhand. Its foundation stone was laid by the PM in December 2016.

Being built at a cost of Rs 12,000Cr, it will have bridges, bypasses, tunnels, helipads, helicopter emergency response services, viaducts, pit stops and parking facilities. Apart from providing all-weather connectivity, efforts are also being made to make the journey safer and more secure. The four main routes of the journey will be Rishikesh-Yamunotri, Rishikesh- Gangotri, Rishikesh-Kedarnath and Rishikesh-Badrinath.

However, about two months ago, the ambitious project came under the scanner of the National Green Tribunal because of the debris being dumped on the mountain slopes.

National Waterways Project: Out of the 106 rivers identified for the National Waterways (NW) project, the government has begun developing eight in the first phase. The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) has begun initial work on the project. In order to be used to move freight cargo, these rivers will be made navigable. NW will cover Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, West Bengal and Goa among other states. Tender process for Barak river in Assam and Ghaghra river in Uttar Pradesh has already been initiated, and DPR and tendering process for the others are in various stages of completion. For 52 inaccessible waterways in hilly or remote areas, feasibility studies will be done.

Ganga, Brahmaputra and Mahanadi are a few of the rivers on which NW will be developed.

Mumbai-Nagpur Expressway: Maharashtra’s Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’ dream project, also known as Maharashtra Prosperity Corridor (Maharashtra Samruddhi Corridor), Mumbai-Nagpur Expressway will be a 706km long eight-lane access-controlled road that will link Mumbai and Nagpur and cut the travel time substantially. Approved in December 1999, it was to be built in two phases. The Expressway will pass through 12 districts. By 2012, the road had linked Nagpur, Aurangabad, Ghoti and Mumbai with 60% of its work completed, thereby saving a distance of 65km. By 2015, about 80% of the work was done.

Once completed, the project will reduce the travel time between Mumbai and Nagpur by eight hours. It will have 24 industrial nodes (townships) that will be developed along the road, and will be completed in four years. It had faced a severe protest from farmers over land acquisition issue but the work will resume in October this year.

Rural Projects: The Government of India has not ignored the mobility crisis in its rural areas. But initiating infrastructure projects and restarting the held up projects has been the Modi government’s focus for the rural sector. Apart from electrifying the villages, the connectivity is being seriously taken up. In 2016-17, 113km of roads per day were constructed on an average in the villages under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY). Out of a total target of 15,000km in 2016-17, by February 2017, 6,604km of National Highways were built. Proper roads, the government believes, will lead to help the farmers take their farm yield to the markets.

Reasons for Progress

So, how has the government been able to leapfrog in the infrastructure arena? Since March 2015, the Prime Minister’s PRAGATI (Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation) meetings, to take stock of the progress of infrastructure projects, keeps the bureaucrats, chief ministers, and ministers in charge of the projects on their toes. In order to give reports regularly on their projects, they have to work regularly and expedite them. This also ensures that red tapism is kept at bay.

This fiscal year, the government plans to spend $60 billion on infrastructure. Of course that includes power projects too, which we are not writing about in this report. In the next five years, India has been promised 43 new airports and 42kms of roads a day.

In a vast country like India with most of its unplanned cities inhabited by more people than they can take, it is a huge challenge to build roads, ports, railways tracks, airports, bridges and tunnels. Apart from land acquisition, the approach too is a big trial in various areas. But, there seems to be a political will to improve infrastructure. And as of now, that is what matters.