CCEA gives nod for three railway projects

NEW DELHI: The CCEA has given the green signal for three investment proposals of the Indian Railways worth Rs 2,517 crore. Two of the projects aim to build new rail lines of 184.70 km through a joint venture with the Chhattisgarh government and Coal India to help ferry coal from inaccessible mine pitheads to the market. The third project focus entails doubling of the 247.73 km Palan-Samakhaili section in Gujarat and is aimed to relieve bottlenecks in evacuation from ports of Mundra and Kandla.

The project, which has an internal rate of return of 17.33%, will serve as the Western Railway’s feeder route to the Mumbai-Delhi Dedicated Freight Corridor. Railways Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal said that these three projects are expected to be completed in the first year of the XIIIth Plan.

“We don’t want any delays,” said Bansal. The Railways Board will hold a meeting with private investors on Saturday to discuss the five participative models designed for private investment in last-mile connectivity projects.