India has recently increased its efforts to complete several mega projects on time in order to boost the nation’s infrastructure development and robust connectivity. According to a global construction report, India will overtake the United States and China as the world’s third-largest construction markets by 2022. For decades, the country has been hard at work on a slew of mega-projects. Some of these projects now have been completed and are available to the public.
Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project
KLIP (Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project) is India’s most ambitious irrigation project to date. The project’s goal was to make Telangana drought-free. The project was built on the banks of the Godavari River in Kaleshwaram.
The project was intended to supply water for drinking and irrigation to approximately 45 lakh acres of land. To handle the massive amount of water supply, 16 water reservoirs and 19 pump houses were built.
This project is intended to provide water as well as potential hydropower generation. The construction began in 2016 and was completed in a record-breaking three years, in 2019. The project cost a total of Rs 1.2 lakh crore.
Banihal-Qazigund Road Tunnel
In 2011, the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir began construction on an 8.5km long road tunnel to connect Banihal and Qazigund. After ten years of planning, the project was successfully completed in 2021 at a cost of Rs 2,100 crore.
The traffic capacity of the existing road tunnel beneath the Banihal pass is limited. Due to its elevation of 2,194 m (7,198 ft), it frequently experiences traffic congestion, causing movement to be hampered. The tunnel has now significantly reduced the distance between Srinagar and Jammu by 16 kilometers.
Rewa Solar Power Project
This ultra-solar power grid is one of the largest solar power plants in India. It is also one of Asia’s largest single-site solar power plants. The plant is located in the Gurth tehsil of the Rewa district of Madhya Pradesh and is spread over 1,590 acres (6.4 square kilometers) of land. Hence the name, Rewa Solar Power Plant.
It’s the first solar plant project in India to receive direct investment from a member of the World Bank Group. The solar plant’s total construction cost is estimated to be around Rs 4,500 crore. The plant has the capacity to generate 750 megawatts of clean renewable energy each year, contributing to a reduction of 15.4 lakh tonnes of CO2 emissions.
Sardar Patel Stadium
Sardar Patel Stadium, also known as Narendra Modi Stadium, is the largest cricket stadium in the world. It can accommodate 1.32 million spectators. It is designed to help the Gujarat Cricket Association organize various cricket matches, such as Tests, ODIs, and T20Is.
In 1982, the Gujarat government donated a 100-acre plot of land on the Sabarmati River’s banks for the project. The stadium was built in 1983, but reconstruction began in late 2015 after the entire structure was demolished.
The project’s total reconstruction cost is estimated to be around Rs 800 crore. In the stadium, the Namaste Trump ceremony was recently held in 2020.
Sardar Sarovar Dam
The Sardar Sarovar Dam, also known as the Lifeline of Gujarat, is a terminal dam built on the Narmada River. The dam was built in Kevadia, Narmada district of Gujarat. This is the world’s second-largest dam in terms of volume and size, with a spillway discharge capacity of 20.7 million cases.
The Sardar Sarovar Dam is one of India’s most controversial projects. Its environmental impact is a hotly debated topic. It was built to increase irrigation and generate hydroelectric power. In the summer, however, it usually does not release water for irrigation purposes.
However, due to depleted surface water reserves in some areas, water management had no choice but to release approximately 1.3 million acre feet (MAF) of water for irrigation this year in 2021.
Bhadla Solar Park
Bhadla Solar Park is India’s and the world’s largest solar park, spanning 5,700 hectares (14,000 acres) in Bhadla village in Rajasthan’s Jodhpur district. The region in which this solar park is located has an average temperature of 46 to 48 °C with frequent hot winds.
Because of its climate, the region has been described as almost unlivable. This harsh and hot climate benefits the solar park, which has the capacity to generate 2245 megawatts of electricity.
Bogibeel Bridge
The Bogibeel Bridge, which stretches over the Brahmaputra River for 4.94 kilometers, is India’s longest rail-road bridge. The project began in 2002 and took over 200 months to complete. The bridge is being constructed as part of the country’s efforts to strengthen India’s national border defenses. The project’s total cost was estimated to be around $800 million.
The bridge has been designed and built to withstand the weight of India’s most powerful battle tanks. Fighter jets can even land on it. The bridge is expected to last approximately 120 years. The bridge has reduced travel time to Arunachal Pradesh by 750 kilometers.
Largest Dry-Dock
India now has the world’s largest dry-dock, measuring 281 meters in length, 45 meters in width, and 16.7 meters in depth. It can dock multiple ships at the same time, including two submarines.
It also has the space and durability to dock with the massive Soviet-origin INS Vikramaditya to demonstrate its capabilities. According to the Indian Navy’s official website: This dry dock has over one kilometer of berthing space with sectioning to allow multiple warships to dock.
This massive project began in 2010 and will be completed in 2019. Due to the sheer size and scale of the project, it faced numerous engineering challenges throughout the construction period.
Chenani-Nashri Tunnel
With a length of 9.28 kilometers, the Chenani-Nashri Tunnel is India’s longest road tunnel. It is also the first tunnel to have a fully integrated control system for 24×7 monitoring. The project began in 2011 and was finished in 2017 for public use.
It is expected that after the opening, the distance between Jammu and Srinagar will be reduced by 30 kilometers. The tunnel was built to be accessible in all weather conditions. Otherwise, it would be closed for 40 days a year due to inclement weather. The tunnel is made up of two parallel tubes that run parallel to one another.
Dhola Sadiya Bridge
The Dhola Sadiya Bridge, which connects the northeastern states of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, is India’s longest single-beam bridge. The bridge’s total length is nearly 9.15 kilometers.
The bridge has been designed to provide continuous connectivity 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It cuts the travel time between Rupai in Assam and Meka and Roing in Arunachal Pradesh by about five hours. The project’s construction began in November 2011 and was completed in 2017 at a cost of Rs 1,702 crore.
