Ongoing Development Projects In India

Chenab Bridge

Chenab Bridge, the world's highest railway bridge, is 1315 m long. It will be 35 meters higher than Eiffel Tower in Paris.

• The preparations of the rail link began in 2002 and the initial plan was to connect Kashmir's northernmost city Baramulla to New Delhi.
• Work on the bridge started again in July 2017 with the aim of completing the construction by the end of 2019 but due to contractual issues in 2018, it was delayed. The corona virus pandemic also added to the delay in the construction of the project and the revised guideline for the completion of the project has now been for December 2025.
• The bridge is part of an ambitious 272-km rail link project and is being constructed by the Northern Railway at an estimated cost of ₹28,000 core.
• The total cost of the Chenab bridge is estimated to be Rs 1486 core and the design life of the bridge is said to be 120 years.
• The World's Highest Railway Bridge designed to withstand high wind speed up to 266 km/hour. It is also designed for blast load in consultation with DRDO for the first time in India.
• The Railways said that the Bridge will remain operational at a restricted speed of 30 km/hour even after the removal of one pier/trestle. It can also bear earthquake forces of the highest intensity zone-V in India.
• The bridge will be able to withstand earthquakes with a magnitude of up to eight and high-intensity blasts.
• The bridge will provide the much-needed all-weather connectivity between Kashmir and the rest of the county. The bottom ends of the main arch have already been connected, after which the upper arch will now be completed and the two will now be closed. The next step would be the laying of the tracks.
• The bridge, which will include a 14-metre dual carriageway and a 1.2-metre-wide central verge, will have a design speed of around 100 kilometres per hour with a lifespan of 120 years.
• According to the Ministry of Railways, the completion of the steel arch of the Chenab Bridge was one of the most difficult parts of the bridge.
• The 5.6-metre last piece of metal fitted at the highest point on Monday and joined the two arms of the arch that currently stretch towards each other from both the banks of the river. This reportedly completed the shape of the arch that will then loom over the treacherous Chenab, flowing over 359 metres below.
• After completion of the arch work, removal of the stay cables, filling of the concrete in the arch rib, erection of the steel trestle, launching of the viaduct and track laying work will be taken up.
• Steel used specifically chosen for the construction of the bridge as it will make the project more economical. The metal will also be able to resist temperatures of minus 20 degree Celsius and wind speeds of above 200 kilometre per hour.

Chardham – Highway Project

These two-lane expressways national highway is being built in the state of Uttarakhand and will connect the four holy places, Yamnotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath. The project will complement the underdeveloped railways and comprise 900 km of the national highway, connecting the whole of Uttarakhand. The total budget of this project is a whopping INR Rs. 12000 crores.

Char Dham Railway Tunnel Project

A monumental project is underway in the majestic Himalayas, where the holy rivers Bhagirathi and Alaknanda converge to form the Ganga. The Char Dham railway project, led by Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL), is carving a path through the challenging terrain of Rudraprayag and Karnaprayag in Uttarakhand, India. MEIL is playing a crucial role in the construction of this ambitious project. This broad-gauge railway line not only connects the revered Char Dham pilgrimage sites, but also revolutionises travel in Uttarakhand.

The delicate rock composition in Himalayan Mountain ranges demands specialised tunnelling methods, leading to the adoption of The New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM). The atmosphere, characterised by high volatility and elevated terrain, adds complexity. This clearly explains how tough it is to construct a broad-gauge railway line in the Himalayan region.

Gujarat – Gorakhpur Gas Pipeline

To tackle the increasing demand for cooking gas in the country, the state-owned Indian oil cooperation is all set to establish the longest cooking gas pipeline from the Kandla in Gujarat to Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh. This pipeline would carry 3.75 million tons of LPG per annum and will run through 1,987 kilometres.

India has several major gas pipeline projects in operation and under development, aimed at expanding the natural gas grid and providing cleaner energy to various parts of the country. These pipelines transport both natural gas and petroleum products, serving various industries and consumers.

Key Gas Pipeline Projects:

• Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga (PMUG): This ambitious project, led by Bharat Enterprises Services Solutions Limited, focuses on expanding the natural gas grid in eastern India, with the Dhamra-Angul pipeline being a key component.
• East West Gas Pipeline (EWPL): A major private sector project transporting gas from Kakinada to Bharuch, serving various customers along its route, including RIL's petrochemical complex.
• Hazira-Vijaipur-Jagdishpur (HVJ) Pipeline: India's first interstate natural gas pipeline, connecting Mumbai High and Bassein gas fields with various industrial and power complexes.
• Kandla-Bhatinda Oil Pipeline (KBPL): A major crude oil pipeline transporting crude oil from Kandla port to Bhatinda refinery.
• Mundra-Panipat Crude Oil Pipeline: A new pipeline to transport crude oil from Mundra in Gujarat to Panipat in Haryana, meeting the increased crude oil demand of the Panipat refinery.

Sagarmala Project

The Aspiration of this project is to minimize the logistics cost for domestic and EXIM trade keeping in mind that the infrastructure cost is also minimal. This will include the following terms:

• By efficiently maintaining the time/cost of container movement.
• By identifying the strength of the future industries available near the coastline.
• Reducing the transportation cost by efficiently utilizing the cargo model mix.

Through this project, in the time interval of 2015 to 2035, around 610 projects have established their identity for implementation throughout the coastlines of India catering to port development, and coastal community development, and port connectivity.

Inland Waterways

The Inland Waterways Authority aspires to increase traffic by purchasing 8-10 inland cargo vessels to run in two, main waterways — Ganga and Brahmaputra. The government further intends to give a certain push to this mode of transportation as it is expected there will be a huge demand for vessels on National waterways 1 in upcoming years.

Bharatmala Project

Bharatmala project is catering to a mammoth network of highways and roadways all across the nation. This will facilitate smooth traffic and transportation connecting state borders, international borders, economic corridors, inter corridors, and feeder routes. This will include coastal, port, and green fields expressway connectivity. The scheme was announced by Shri Nitin Gadkari and is a vision of prime minister Narender Modi. The project is being implemented and managed by the road transport and highways ministry of India.

Mumbai Trans Harbour Link

This project is envisioned to improve the connectivity between Sewri in the island city and Chile in the mainland city of Mumbai. Mumbai Trans harbour link is one of the top upcoming development projects in India. This will help in the development of the mainland city and will also decongest routes for transportation. In the past years, three attempts have been made by the Government to take up this project which have miserably failed. Now, this project has been taken up by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority. This link will be 21.8 km long and will save time and fuel.

Arunachal Pradesh on Rail Map

The railways of India want to connect all state capitals together in the northeastern region with its network. This project will the first one to connect Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya, and further this will connect Arunachal Pradesh to the rest of the country by the conversion of a crucial gauge between North Lakhimpur and Rangpara.

Shivaji Statue

The upcoming statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, off the coastline of Mumbai, is going to cost a whopping Rs. 3643.78 crores and the project will be complete in the year 2026-27. This site will be called Shiv Samarak and will be built on a man-made island that will lay 1.5 km in the Arabian Sea. The height of the statue will be 126 meters placed on a pedestal which will be 84 meters making the total height of the project 212 meters. The site will have all modern facilities including a lavish food court, a huge garden, and an astonishingly elaborate library. This site will also have an amphitheatre, a museum, a helipad, an exhibition gallery, and a hospital to attract visitors; including a convention centre with accommodation of 10,000 people.

Mumbai – Ahmedabad Speed Rail Corridor

This Project will be India's first high-speed rail line which will connect Mumbai and Ahmedabad, and is currently underway. Due to problems in acquiring the required land the completion of this project has been postponed to December 2028. According to official data, 60 per cent of the land has been successfully acquired and the rest of the acquisition has been almost complete. Civil tenders of about 68% corridor and a tender for 28 steel bridges have been given out.

Smart Cities Mission

The Smart Cities Mission was launched by the Government of India in 2015 to develop 100 cities across 28 states. It entails 8,075 projects with an investment of ₹1,64,687 crore. Apart from ensuring sustainable development, enhancing the quality of life in these cities, building robust infrastructure, and strengthening urban development, this mission will also generate employment. A total of 10 lakh direct and 30 lakh indirect employment is expected to be created under the Smart City Mission.

Vadhavan Port

Vadhavan Port will redefine India's maritime capabilities. This ambitious project aims at handling over 23 million TEU containers by 2040. The port is a joint venture between the Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB) and the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA). India's deep draft port deficit is addressed by its 20-meter depth. It aims to reduce congestion at JNPT and play a vital role in boosting India's trade, positioning India as a leading maritime player on global trade routes. With a projected investment of ₹ 76,200 crores, Vadhvan Port will also contribute to India's logistics capability by boosting overall cargo handling capacity.

Zoji-la Tunnel

Zoji-la Tunnel is situated between Srinagar and Drass on the Srinagar-Leh Highway in Jammu and Kashmir. It was built with an investment of ₹8,308 crore. The 14.2 km long tunnel is estimated to be one of Asia's longest bi-directional tunnels and will significantly reduce the travel time across Zoji-la Pass. At 11,575 feet, the project provides an all-weather route, increasing the tourism and economic activities in the region. The completion deadline of the pass has been revised from 2026 to 2030, as of January 2025, 40% of the work has been completed.