New Delhi, 24 July (H.S.): The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Friday approved the construction of third and fourth railway lines on the Ballari–Guntakal section in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. The estimated cost of the project is Rs 1,264 crore, and it is scheduled to be completed by 2028-29.

Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting and Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw, while briefing the media at the National Media Centre about the Cabinet decisions, said that the project has been prepared under the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan, aimed at enhancing multi-modal connectivity and improving logistics efficiency.

The project will add around 46 kilometres to the Indian Railways network and provide improved rail connectivity to nearly 99 villages across three districts. These villages have a combined population of approximately seven lakh people.

The project will enhance the transportation capacity of commodities such as iron ore, dolomite, limestone, steel, coal, fertilisers and foodgrains. The additional freight traffic is estimated to increase by 16.22 million tonnes per year.

The project is also expected to save around 1.32 crore litres of oil imports and reduce carbon emissions by approximately 6.67 crore kilograms, equivalent to planting around 0.27 crore trees.

The initiative will also improve rail connectivity to major tourist destinations such as Ballari Fort and Sri Kumaraswamy Temple. It is expected to enhance operational efficiency, improve service reliability and accelerate regional development.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar