Haryana cuts infra project site assessment time from 45 days to 1-2 days using GIS tools

Chandigarh: Haryana is using GIS-based technology to cut infrastructure site-feasibility assessments from 40-45 days to just one or two days, signalling a major shift from conventional, file-driven planning to integrated, technology-based decision-making under the PM GatiShakti National Master Plan, the state government said in a statement on Thursday.

The state has also sharply increased the number of infrastructure projects identified, planned or completed through PM GatiShakti, from nine in April to 34 in August, the statement read.

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A high-level review chaired by Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi on Wednesday showed that the projects span industrial infrastructure, irrigation, health, transport, power and town planning.

Haryana has simultaneously made substantial progress in building the digital ecosystem needed for integrated infrastructure planning.

Commissioner and Secretary, Industries and Commerce, Amit Kumar Agrawal informed the meeting that Haryana has secured Rank 1 among states in providing officials access to the PM GatiShakti State Master Plan portal, with more than 720 officials now onboarded.

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Further strengthening administrative capacity, 944 officials have been trained through 244 capacity-building sessions.

The most significant impact of the initiative is being seen in project planning. GIS-based tools developed using PM GatiShakti data have reduced the time required to assess the feasibility of sites for major infrastructure projects from several weeks to just one to two days.

Agrawal said integrated tools being used for projects such as the proposed District Civil Hospital at Hisar and the proposed bus terminal at Matlauda in Panipat have brought down feasibility assessment time from around 40-45 days to one-two days.

A similar transformation has been reported by the Architecture Department, where site assessment time has been reduced from 33-39 days to one-two days, he said.

The Irrigation Department has also used the platform to identify inter-departmental asset infringements along the Hisar-Ghaggar drain. The exercise reduced processing time from around 45 days to one-two days, while ground verification showed approximately 95 per cent data accuracy.

The technology is also changing the way Haryana plans industrial infrastructure.

The Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited has developed an integrated GIS-based tool bringing together revenue, road, rail, forest, irrigation, power, connectivity and other infrastructure-related information.

The system is being used for planning industrial model townships in Rewari, Jind, Faridabad, Ambala, Rai in Sonipat and Saral, Naraingarh.

The objective is to identify constraints at the planning stage itself, improve site selection, optimise land use and reduce the risk of delays during execution. Ground validation has shown approximately 95 per cent data accuracy, the statement said.

One of the strongest examples of the technology being used for direct public benefit is emerging from Nuh, Haryana's Aspirational District.

GIS-based analysis of primary health centres has been used to identify gaps in healthcare accessibility.

The significance of these exercises lies in the shift from simply adding infrastructure to placing facilities where people actually need them, based on population, accessibility and location data.

Rastogi was informed that 61 of the 82 identified infrastructure projects have now been mapped on the PM GatiShakti platform, compared with 40 at the time of the April review.

Departments have been directed to complete the remaining mapping without delay.

The data-integration exercise has also gained momentum. Of the 23 departments invited to link their data layers through APIs, 22 have completed or initiated the process.

The administration is now focusing on completing the remaining integration so that departments can work from a common and updated infrastructure database.

The PM GatiShakti National Master Plan, described as a transformative approach to infrastructure planning and development in the country, was launched in October 2021.