Infrastructure – Roads, Railways, Airports, Ports
🟠 Topic 35: Infrastructure – Roads, Railways, Airports, Ports
📌 Introduction
Infrastructure is the backbone of economic development, acting as a catalyst for industrial growth, regional connectivity, trade, and socio-economic inclusion. In India, sectors like roads, railways, airports, and ports play a crucial role in ensuring seamless movement of goods, services, and people, enhancing competitiveness and attracting investment.
1️⃣ Roads & Highways
📖 Importance
✔️ 70% of freight and 85% of passenger traffic moves via roads.
✔️ Provides last-mile connectivity to villages and remote areas.
✔️ Facilitates economic integration across regions.
Key Initiatives
1. Bharatmala Pariyojana
- Umbrella highway development program.
- Focus on: ✔️ Economic corridors. ✔️ Border & coastal roads. ✔️ Improving feeder roads.
- Target: 34,800 km of highways by 2025.
2. National Highway Development Programme (NHDP)
- Focused on Golden Quadrilateral and North-South, East-West corridors.
- Enhanced connectivity between metros and industrial hubs.
3. PM Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY)
- Ensures all-weather connectivity to unconnected villages.
- Boosts rural economy and market linkages.
4. Green Highways Policy
- Focuses on tree plantation along highways.
- Enhances climate resilience and carbon sequestration.
Recent Trends
- Electronic Toll Collection (FASTag).
- Emphasis on Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) in highway construction.
- Focus on multi-modal logistics parks under Gati Shakti Plan.
Challenges
1️⃣ Land acquisition delays.
2️⃣ Environmental clearances.
3️⃣ Cost overruns and project delays.
4️⃣ Maintenance and road safety issues.
2️⃣ Railways
📖 Importance
✔️ Moves freight, passengers, and bulk commodities.
✔️ Critical for regional balance and affordable transport.
Key Initiatives
1. Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFC)
- Eastern and Western DFCs to decongest passenger routes.
- Faster, cost-effective freight movement.
2. Vande Bharat Express
- India’s first indigenous semi-high-speed train.
- Enhances passenger comfort and speed.
3. Station Redevelopment Program
- Modernizing major stations with world-class amenities.
- Focus on PPP-based redevelopment.
4. 100% Electrification Target
- Aim to electrify all broad gauge routes by 2030.
- Enhances energy efficiency and reduces carbon footprint.
Recent Trends
- Focus on high-speed rail (Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train).
- Introduction of private trains on select routes.
- Integration with multi-modal logistics parks.
Challenges
1️⃣ Operational inefficiency and cross-subsidization.
2️⃣ Low freight share compared to roads.
3️⃣ Funding constraints for capex-heavy projects.
4️⃣ Safety concerns (railway accidents).
3️⃣ Airports
📖 Importance
✔️ Facilitates global connectivity and trade.
✔️ Drives tourism, investment, and economic growth.
✔️ Critical for remote and island regions.
Key Initiatives
1. UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik)
- Aims to enhance regional air connectivity.
- Provides viability gap funding (VGF) to airlines for underserved routes.
2. Greenfield Airports Policy
- Encourages private investment in new airports.
- Focus on tier-2 and tier-3 cities.
3. Airport Privatization
- Airports like Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad privatized.
- Private players involved in operation, management, and development.
4. DigiYatra
- Promotes contactless travel through biometric boarding systems.
- Enhances passenger convenience and security.
Recent Trends
- Growth in cargo traffic driven by e-commerce and exports.
- Focus on aerotropolis (airport-centric economic hubs).
- Emphasis on green airports with solar energy, waste management.
Challenges
1️⃣ High capital intensity and long gestation periods.
2️⃣ Land acquisition challenges for new airports.
3️⃣ Infrastructure bottlenecks at tier-2 and tier-3 airports.
4️⃣ Volatility in aviation fuel prices affecting operations.
4️⃣ Ports & Shipping
📖 Importance
✔️ 90% of India’s trade by volume moves via sea.
✔️ Critical for export competitiveness.
✔️ Provides connectivity to global supply chains.
Key Initiatives
1. Sagarmala Programme
- Comprehensive port-led development.
- Focus on: ✔️ Modernizing port infrastructure. ✔️ Enhancing coastal shipping. ✔️ Developing port-based industrial clusters.
2. Major Port Authorities Act, 2021
- Provides greater autonomy to major ports.
- Enables faster decision-making on tariffs and investments.
3. Inland Waterways
- Development of 111 National Waterways for cargo transport.
- Promotes cheaper and greener transport mode.
4. Cruise Tourism Promotion
- Infrastructure development for passenger cruise terminals.
- Focus on domestic and international cruise tourism.
Recent Trends
- Focus on container ports and transshipment hubs (Vizhinjam, Colachel).
- Digitization of port operations through Port Community System (PCS).
- Collaboration with Japan, South Korea for port modernization.
Challenges
1️⃣ Port congestion and delays.
2️⃣ High logistics costs (double global average).
3️⃣ Competition from regional ports (Singapore, Colombo).
4️⃣ Environmental and coastal ecosystem damage.
📊 Summary Table – Key Infrastructure Plans
| Sector | Key Program |
|---|---|
| Roads | Bharatmala Pariyojana |
| Railways | Dedicated Freight Corridors |
| Airports | UDAN Scheme |
| Ports | Sagarmala Programme |
📚 Practice MCQ
1️⃣ Consider the following statements regarding Bharatmala Pariyojana:
- It focuses only on rural roads.
- It aims to develop economic corridors and border roads.
- It is implemented by NHAI.
Which of the above statements are correct?
✅ Options:
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2, and 3
2️⃣ What is the primary objective of the UDAN scheme?
✅ Options:
(a) Develop major international airports
(b) Enhance regional air connectivity
(c) Modernize air traffic control
(d) Privatize Air India
3️⃣ Consider the following statements about Sagarmala Programme:
- It aims to promote port-led development.
- It focuses on modernizing ports and developing coastal economic zones.
- It encourages cruise tourism.
Which of the above statements are correct?
✅ Options:
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 1, 2, and 3
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) 1 and 3 only
