Panel for Gati Shakti asks DPIIT to identify high-impact infra projects

The dept has also been asked to carry out a comprehensive infrastructure gap analysis

The upcoming Union Budget 2022-23 is expected to give greater thrust to infrastructure creation and expedite connectivity projects in various economic zones.

The Cabinet Secretary-led panel for Gati Shakti has asked the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) to ensure that “high-impact” infrastructure projects get on a fast track, and to kick-start the exercise of identifying projects for inclusion in the Budget, which will be presented by the finance minister on February 1.

Such projects may include road, rail and airport works in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad-Dholera zone in the West and Karnataka’s Tumakuru industrial area in the South, as well as Dadri zone in the poll-bound Uttar Pradesh.

The Gati Shakti plan, launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year, brings 16 ministries, including railways and roadways, together for integrated planning and coordinated implementation of infrastructure connectivity projects.

“The industry department will have to ensure that these high-impact projects are implemented in a time-bound manner. Apart from that, the DPIIT has also been asked to carry out a comprehensive infrastructure gap analysis of the long-term needs of every infrastructure ministry,” an official aware of the matter told Business Standard.

For instance, in the Ahmedabad-Dholera zone, rail and road connectivity projects are pending. A greenfield airport at Dholera is also in the works. Similarly, a multimodal logistics hub (MMLH) at Dadri and a multimodal transport hub (MMTH) at Boraki in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, are a work in progress.

In the Tumakuru industrial area, which comes under the Chennai-Bengaluru Industrial Corridor, two rail and one road projects have been proposed.

“The government panel has asked all government departments to have an integrated approach towards the planning of projects, and reduction of logistics costs,” the person cited above said, adding that a gap analysis of economic zones for multimodal connectivity would also have to be carried out.

The steps are being taken in line with the Prime Minister’s latest push towards creating a national master plan for multi-modal connectivity, known as Gati Shakti. This will be done by integrating all the multimodal connectivity projects and enabling seamless movement of people, goods and services.

Gati Shakti is being developed into a digital platform, integrating the existing portals and data of key infrastructure ministries, resulting in real-time access of information and data on various infrastructure projects and better coordination among all ministries towards project implementation