Union Cabinet Greenlights Key Infrastructure Projects to Boost City Connectivity and Air Travel

The Union Cabinet has approved several significant infrastructure projects worth nearly Rs 2 lakh crore, including metro rail expansions in Karnataka and Maharashtra and enhanced air connectivity in Bihar and West Bengal. These initiatives aim to improve connectivity, create jobs, and fuel economic growth.

The Union Cabinet on Friday sanctioned five key infrastructure projects aiming to boost urban connectivity in Karnataka and poll-bound Maharashtra through metro rail networks, while also enhancing air connectivity in Bihar and northern West Bengal.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw highlighted that the government has approved projects worth almost Rs 2 lakh crore since assuming office in June, underlining its focus on job creation and improved connectivity to spur economic growth.

The Cabinet, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved metro rail projects in Bengaluru, Karnataka, and in Thane and Pune, Maharashtra, where assembly elections are approaching later this year.

''Ensuring Maharashtra gets modern infrastructure is our constant endeavour,'' Modi stated in a post on X, detailing Friday's Cabinet decisions.

Notably, Phase-3 of the Bangalore Metro, featuring the JP Nagar to Kempapura and Hoshahalli to Kadabagere corridors, will cost Rs 15,611 crore.

The Thane Integral Ring Metro, with an investment of Rs 12,200 crore, aims to connect residential and industrial zones, integrating with Mumbai Metro lines 4 and 5.

An extension of the Pune Metro from Swargate to Katraj at Rs 2,954.5 crore will enhance underground connectivity to key commercial and residential areas.

The cabinet also sanctioned airport projects in Bagdogra, West Bengal, and Bihta, Bihar, with combined estimates of Rs 2,962 crore.

Vaishnaw noted the approval for a new civil enclave at Bagdogra airport, costing Rs 1,549 crore, including the construction of an apron for 10 A-321-type aircraft.

A civil enclave at Bihta in Bihar, estimated at Rs 1,413 crore, also received approval, featuring an apron for 10 parking bays suitable for A-321/B-737-800/A-320 aircraft types. Earlier approvals included major projects like the Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport development in Varanasi, costed at Rs 2,869 crore, multiple railway projects at Rs 24,657 crore, and national high-speed road corridors totaling Rs 50,655 crore, alongside a major all-weather port at Vadhavan, Maharashtra, for Rs 76,200 crore.