A New India

Chapter 129: Gati Shakti - II

As soon as Harish finsihed, Rohan stood at the head of the table. The map of India, now filled with markers for industrial hubs, key transport routes, and major ports, hung on the wall behind him.

Today's agenda wasn't just about vision. It was about making that vision real.

"We've set the stage," Rohan began, scanning the room, making sure everyone was focused. "But now, we need to get into the specifics. The Gati Shakti Plan is more than just highways and railways. It's about creating a system that functions as a whole, where every piece of infrastructure supports the other.

We'll break down how roads, railways, ports, and airports will connect to drive this country forward."

Rohan moved to the map and tapped the pointer on the highway network. "Let's start with the roads. Right now, our national highways are overburdened, under maintained, and don't connect well with other transport systems. That's a major problem."

He paused, then continued, "The first step is expanding the national highway network. 20,000 kilometers in the first phase. But this isn't about just more roads. It's about linking key economic areas factories, farms, and ports, so that goods don't get stuck halfway."

Harish leaned back in his chair. "Twenty thousand kilometers? That's ambitious. What's the cost looking like for this?"

Rohan met his gaze. "We'll need a large investment, no doubt, but it won't all come from the government." Only on m v|le|mp|yr

Harish nodded, flipping through some papers. "Okay, I see the numbers. And the key regions?"

Rohan moved his pointer along the map. "Take Punjab, for example. A huge agricultural zone. We'll build a highway that connects directly to the Mumbai port. Right now, it can take days for goods to get from Punjab to Mumbai. This will change that cut transport times in half, maybe more."

Inder Kumar leaned forward. "That's going to be a game-changer for the farmers. Right now, crops are losing value while they sit in trucks. Faster transport will mean fresher produce at the market and fewer losses."

"Exactly," Rohan said. "But it's not just about speed. It's about cost too. Farmers spend a lot on transport. If we can make it cheaper and faster, it changes everything."

Mira Chaudhary, silent so far, added, "And the quality of these roads? What's the plan there?"

"We're not just building more roads," Rohan assured her. "We're upgrading them. These new highways will be built to handle heavy trucks, industrial traffic, something our current roads aren't designed for. This isn't about patchwork fixes. It's about creating roads that last."

Rohan shifted gears, moving from highways to the railways. "Now, let's talk about the rail network. We've have large railway systems, but we're not using it well enough. Freight gets stuck behind passenger trains, and key industrial areas aren't connected."

He pointed to a section of the map where new railway lines were proposed. "We'll expand the railway network by 10,000 kilometers over the next decade. But what's more important is creating dedicated freight corridors, railways that only handle goods, not passengers."

Harish asked, "What regions will these new freight lines focus on?"

Rohan traced his finger over the map. "One of the biggest will be a freight corridor from Kolkata to Mumbai. That route connects two major ports. Right now, goods get delayed for days waiting for passenger trains to pass. A dedicated freight line will mean uninterrupted movement, and quicker transport of goods between the two cities."

Mira spoke up again, this time with a thoughtful look. "How do we make sure these new lines are used efficiently? A lot of the existing rail infrastructure goes underutilized."

Rohan was ready for the question. "We'll introduce real-time tracking for all freight trains. Businesses will know exactly where their goods are and when they'll arrive. That'll help cut down delays and make planning easier. And with dedicated lines, there won't be any passenger trains slowing things down."

Rohan moved to the next key area, ports and airports. "Right now, our ports are a bottleneck. Ships sit there for days waiting to load or unload cargo. It's killing our efficiency."

He pointed to the major ports, Mumbai, Chennai, and Kolkata. "We'll be upgrading these ports so they can handle more cargo. The goal is to cut down wait times drastically. Right now, the process is so slow that by the time goods are ready to ship, it's already too late for many exporters."

Inder spoke up again, clearly concerned about the agricultural aspect. "And this will help farmers too? They need to get their products out faster, especially perishables."

"Yes," Rohan replied firmly. "We're also going to build cold storage facilities at the ports, so farmers can store perishables like fruits, vegetables, and seafood before shipping. This will cut down on spoilage and give them a much better chance in international markets."

Leela Kapoor asked. "What about air connectivity? A lot of smaller towns and cities don't have access to good airports, which limits their growth."

Rohan nodded. "We're addressing that too. We'll be building new airports in 50 major towns over the next two decade, focusing on regions where industry is growing. This isn't just about moving goods. It's about moving people, opening up more opportunities for business, tourism, and access to services."

Finally Rohan came to the heart of this plan multimodal hubs.

"The real efficiency comes from multimodal logistics hubs," Rohan explained. "These hubs will allow goods to move seamlessly from road to rail to port without the delays we currently face."

He pointed to a site near Chennai on the map. "Here's where we'll build one of the first major hubs. Goods can be brought in by truck, transferred to a train, and then shipped to the port without any delay. It's about creating a smooth transition from one mode of transport to another."

Harish asked, "How do we ensure they don't become bottlenecks themselves?"

"We'll build these hubs in strategic locations, starting with key industrial regions. The hubs will be designed to handle large volumes of goods efficiently. And because they're integrated with railways and ports, there won't be any unnecessary delays," Rohan said.

Leela added, "Will these hubs benefit the local communities? What's the impact beyond just the transport?"

Rohan smiled slightly, glad to see the question. "Yes. These hubs won't just help businesses. They'll create thousands of jobs both in construction and in the long term as logistics centers. Plus, as more businesses set up shop around these hubs, local economies will grow. More jobs, better infrastructure, and more opportunities for people living nearby."

Rohan then brought up the final piece of the plan: coordination.

"The only way this all works is if we're using real-time data to manage it. Every ministry involved, roads, railways, ports, and aviation will have access to this data so we can avoid overlaps and keep things on schedule."

After that Rohan stepped back from the map, looking around the room. He was waiting for questions.