The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a mega road project for Varanasi, which includes an 89-kilometre elevated road network along the rivers Ganga and Varuna. According to the information shared, the elevated corridors will be developed under the Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM). The Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM) is a public-private partnership (PPP) framework used by the Government of India (primarily by the NHAI) to build national highways. The two highway projects, approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will be built with a total investment of nearly Rs 25,500 crore.
Elevated corridor along river Varuna
The 43-kilometre-long elevated corridor along the banks of the Varuna River will be 6/4 lanes and is expected to cost Rs 10,998 crore. This project will connect NH-31 to the Varanasi Ring Road and will include the construction of flyovers, loops, ramps, and service roads along the main carriageway.
Elevated corridor along river Ganga
The project will include the construction of a 6-lane elevated main road, along with an iconic cable-stayed bridge, extradosed foot overbridge-cum-major bridge, loops, ramps, link roads, and service roads. Upon completion, traffic congestion on NH-19 (Prayagraj-Varanasi), BHU-Ramnagar Road, and NH-35 (Varanasi-Mirzapur) will be significantly reduced.
Varanasi receives approximately 150 million tourists and pilgrims each year, and these projects will play a vital role in reducing the growing traffic congestion within the city. The project’s biggest advantage will be reducing the average travel time for vehicles in this affected area from approximately 60 minutes to just 20 minutes.
Cabinet approves Semicon Mission 2.0
The Union Cabinet has also cleared Rs 1.27 lakh crore for the second edition of India Semiconductor Mission, IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said. The government expects the new scheme to attract investments of around Rs 4 lakh crore and lead to semiconductor production worth Rs 2 lakh crore during the scheme period.
“Semicon 2.0 will have six pillars. The first pillar will be the design of chips,” he added. The minister said that the programme will focus on design, development and production of indigenous chips.
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