The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday approved two major infrastructure projects in Bihar with a combined outlay of Rs 7,616 crore, signalling a boost to the state’s industrial and transport ecosystem.
The first project involves the construction of a 4-lane greenfield, access-controlled Mokama-Munger section of the Buxar-Bhagalpur High-Speed Corridor under the Hybrid Annuity Mode (HAM). Stretching 82.4 km with a capital cost of Rs 4,447.38 crore, the corridor will connect key regional cities including Mokama, Barahiya, Lakhisarai, Jamalpur, and Munger, extending to Bhagalpur.
Eastern Bihar’s Munger-Jamalpur-Bhagalpur belt is emerging as a significant industrial hub. It hosts an ordinance factory, a locomotive workshop in Jamalpur, food-processing units such as ITC in Munger, and logistics and warehousing facilities. Bhagalpur is already recognised as a centre for silk production and textiles, while Barahiya is developing as a food processing and agro-warehousing hub.
The 4-lane corridor is designed for average vehicular speeds of 80 km/h and a design speed of 100 km/h, promising safer, faster, and uninterrupted connectivity. Travel time between Mokama and Munger is expected to drop to approximately 1.5 hours.
Also read: Why women could tilt the balance in Bihar 2025
The project is also projected to generate around 14.83 lakh man-days of direct employment and 18.46 lakh man-days of indirect employment. "The project will also induce additional employment opportunities due to increase in economic activity in the vicinity of the proposed corridor," the government said.
Separately, the Cabinet approved the doubling of the Bhagalpur-Dumka-Rampurhat single railway line section spanning 177 km across Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal at an estimated cost of Rs 3,169 crore. The enhanced line capacity aims to improve mobility, operational efficiency, and service reliability for Indian Railways.
"The multi-tracking proposal will ease operations and reduce congestion, providing the much-required infrastructural development on the busiest sections across Indian Railways. The projects are in line with the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modiji's vision of a New India which will make people of the region 'Atmanirbhar' by way of comprehensive development in the area which will enhance their employment/ self-employment opportunities," the government maintained in a statement.
Follow us
