Centre holds high-level meet to speed up big infra projects in southern states

New Delhi, Sep 1 (IANS) Secretary, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Amardeep Singh Bhatia chaired a high-level meeting to expedite the resolution of key issues affecting mega infrastructure projects in Karnataka, Kerala and Telangana.

The meeting was attended by senior officials from Central Ministries, State Governments and project proponents, and focussed on speeding up the resolution of problems through enhanced inter-ministerial and State coordination facilitated by the Project Monitoring Group (PMG).

In Karnataka, five issues across five significant projects with a total project cost of Rs 3,658 crore were reviewed.

In Kerala, two projects amounting to Rs 5,002 crore were examined, while in Telangana, three projects with a cumulative cost of Rs 1,934 crore were discussed.

The Trivandrum-Kanyakumari railway line doubling project, spanning Kerala and Tamil Nadu, was among the key projects reviewed.

With an estimated cost of Rs 3,785 crore, the project aims to double the existing single-line track to reduce travel time, enhance train frequency, and improve passenger and freight movement across the region.

Once completed, the project is expected to significantly strengthen regional connectivity, ease road congestion, and promote tourism and local economic activity. Challenges related to land acquisition, environmental clearances and localised resistance were highlighted, and concerned authorities were advised to expedite their resolution to ensure timely execution and maximise socio-economic benefits.

The 5G/4G network expansion initiative of Reliance Jio was also reviewed. Discussions with the Government of Telangana focussed on early resolution of pending forest and wildlife clearance matters. The project aims to extend 5G mobile connectivity to uncovered and remote regions across the country, while simultaneously strengthening the existing 4G infrastructure. Once implemented, the initiative is expected to substantially improve digital connectivity nationwide, including in strategically-sensitive and geographically remote areas, thereby advancing the government’s vision of a digitally-empowered India.

The Secretary, DPIIT reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to strengthening the institutional framework for project monitoring and directed the authorities concerned to adopt a proactive approach in addressing pending issues. He also emphasised the importance of private proponents leveraging the specialised mechanism of the Project Monitoring Group (PMG) (https://pmg.dpiit.gov.in/) to expedite project implementation and ensure timely resolution of concerns through collaboration among the Central Government, State Governments and private stakeholders.

--IANS

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