BUDGET 2020: Infrastructure;Highways,Railways

Highways:

• Accelerated development of highways to be undertaken, including:

o 2500 Km access control highways.

o 9000 Km of economic corridors.

o 2000 Km of coastal and land port roads.

o 2000 Km of strategic highways.

• Delhi-Mumbai Expressway and two other packages to be completed by 2023.
• Chennai-Bengaluru Expressway to be started.
• Proposed to monetise at least 12 lots of highway bundles of over 6000 Km before 2024.

Indian Railways:

• Five measures:

o Large solar power capacity to be set up alongside rail tracks, on land owned by railways.

o Four station re-development projects and operation of 150 passenger trains through PPP.

o More Tejas type trains to connect iconic tourist destinations.

o High speed train between Mumbai and Ahmedabad to be actively pursued.

o 148 km long Bengaluru Suburban transport project at a cost of Rs 18600 crore, to have fares on metro model. Central Government to provide 20% of equity and facilitate external assistance up to 60% of the project cost.

• Indian Railways’ achievements:

o 550 Wi-fi facilities commissioned in as many stations.

o Zero unmanned crossings.

o 27000 Km of tracks to be electrified.

Ports & Water-ways:

• Corporatizing at least one major port and its listing on stock exchanges to be considered.
• Governance framework keeping with global benchmarks needed for more efficient sea-ports.
• Economic activity along river banks to be energised as per Prime Minister’s Arth Ganga concept.

Airports:

• 100 more airports to be developed by 2024 to support Udaan scheme.
• Air fleet number expected to go up from present 600 to 1200 during this time.

Electricity:

• “Smart” metering to be promoted.
• More measures to reform DISCOMs to be taken.

Power:

• Rs.22, 000 crore proposed for power and renewable energy sector in 2020-21.
• Expansion of national gas grid from the present 16200 km to 27000 km proposed.
• Further reforms to facilitate transparent price discovery and ease of transactions.