Bihar is set for a major infrastructure transformation with the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approving road and rail projects worth ₹7,616 crore. The two initiatives—a four-lane greenfield highway between Mokama and Munger and the doubling of the Bhagalpur–Dumka–Rampurhat railway line—are expected to significantly enhance mobility, industrial growth, and logistics efficiency in the state and its neighbouring regions.
The proposed 82.4 km Mokama–Munger highway, to be built under the hybrid annuity model, will cost ₹4,447 crore. It is a part of the Buxar–Bhagalpur high-speed corridor and will link strategic cities including Barahiya, Lakhisarai, Jamalpur, and Bhagalpur. Officials explained that this corridor will serve as a backbone for Bihar’s emerging industrial clusters. Munger, which hosts a defence ordnance factory, Jamalpur with its historic railway workshop, and Bhagalpur—renowned for its silk industry—are expected to benefit from smoother cargo and passenger movement. The highway will reduce travel time to just 1.5 hours, ensuring faster freight movement with designed speeds of up to 100 km/h. The ₹3,169 crore railway project will double the Bhagalpur–Dumka–Rampurhat line, improving connectivity across Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal. The expansion will directly impact over 2.8 million people across 441 villages, including residents in the aspirational districts of Banka, Godda, and Dumka. According to railway experts, the line will ease congestion on one of the busiest corridors, allowing a freight capacity increase of 15 million tonnes annually. It will also support improved access to religious destinations such as Deoghar and Tarapith, drawing tourism-driven economic benefits.
Beyond mobility, the railway doubling carries strong environmental benefits. Officials highlighted that the project could save nearly 50 million litres of oil annually and cut carbon dioxide emissions by about 240 million kilograms—equivalent to planting 10 million trees. This aligns closely with the government’s commitment to sustainable growth and the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan, which focuses on multimodal transport, reduced logistics costs, and greener infrastructure. The dual investments reinforce Bihar’s strategic role in India’s eastern growth corridor. With improved road and rail networks, the state could witness accelerated industrialisation, especially in food processing, textiles, agro-warehousing, and logistics. Experts noted that better connectivity would not only attract investment but also ease the movement of coal, cement, fertilisers, and agricultural produce, strengthening Bihar’s position as a trade and manufacturing hub.
While the projects will take years to complete, the approvals mark a decisive step towards reducing regional inequalities in infrastructure. If implemented efficiently, they could set a benchmark for how transport development can balance economic expansion with sustainability goals, ensuring long-term gains for communities across Bihar and its neighbouring states.
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