New Delhi, Sep 9 (KNS): The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday approved three railway multitracking projects involving an estimated investment of Rs 10,783 crore across West Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

The projects include the Kharagpur-Jharsuguda (Bagdehi) fourth line, Katni-Pendra Road fourth line and Bilaspur (Uslapur)-Pendra Road third line, according to an official statement.

The projects, covering 14 districts, will add around 656 km to the existing railway network and are targeted for completion by 2029-30.

The increased line capacity is expected to improve mobility, operational efficiency and service reliability while helping decongest key railway routes.

The projects, planned under the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan, will focus on improving multimodal connectivity and logistics efficiency through integrated planning and stakeholder consultations, the statement said.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel

The three projects will improve rail connectivity to around 4,790 villages with a combined population of nearly 56 lakh, besides providing better access to several tourist destinations, including Taratarini Temple, Shri Khetra Jagannath Temple, Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, Amarkantak Temple, Achanakmar Tiger Reserve and Ratanpur Mahamaya Temple.

The routes are also important for transportation of commodities such as coal, cement, iron and steel. The capacity augmentation is expected to facilitate additional freight traffic of around 27 million tonnes per annum.

According to the government, the projects will also help reduce logistics costs, oil imports by around 12 crore litres and carbon dioxide emissions by nearly 62 crore kg, equivalent to the environmental benefit of planting around 2.48 crore trees.(KNS)