New Year 2025 made its entry into the world with full of hopes and opportunities. With the advent of 2025, Punjab is once again looking at the government with new hopes. The year 2025 will bring a plethora of changes and the state will also witness multiple developmental projects reaching a conclusion. For instance,2025, reports suggest that Tata Steel will set up the country's second-largest plant in Punjab this year. Apart from this, there are many projects of the government like green projects and surface water use, which will provide relief to Punjabis.
Hence, below is a list of projects and changes that will take place in Punjab
1) First green steel plant to be built in Ludhiana
A Tata Steel plant is being set up in Dhanansu, Ludhiana. The special thing is that coal will not be used to make steel in this plant. This will be the first green steel plant of its kind in Northern India. In this, steel will be made by recycling scrap under the company's flagship retail brand Tata Tiscon.
This plant with a capacity of 0.75 M TPA with 100 percent scrap based electric furnace will be set up on 115 acres of land in Hi-Tech Valley. This project will create about 500 direct and 2000 indirect employment opportunities. It has the capacity to produce 7500 tonnes of steel.
2) Construction of Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway
The construction work of the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway is progressing rapidly and it is targeted to be completed by September 2025. This important project will not only reduce travel time but will also promote economic and cultural connectivity between Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, and Jammu and Kashmir.
80-90 percent of the construction work of the expressway has been completed in Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir, while the construction process is getting delayed due to land acquisition in Punjab. As per reports, 273 km of this 635 km expressway in Punjab has been completed, while 362 km of work is still pending. This expressway will not only facilitate travel for pilgrims to religious places like Katra, but will also boost business and tourism in the region.
3) 264 MW Green Energy Production
The Punjab government has launched an ambitious scheme to promote clean and green energy. State New and Renewable Energy Minister Aman Arora informed that by 2025, 264 MW of green energy will be produced. This initiative will not only increase energy production, but will also provide economic and environmental benefits to the state.
Under this project, bids were invited for a total of 66 projects, in which 28 companies participated. Out of these, VP Solar Generation was awarded the Letter of Award (LOA). These solar plants will produce 400 million units (MU) of electricity. An investment of about Rs 1056 crore will be made in this project.
4) Electric buses will be run in 3 cities
The Punjab government is going to run 100 electric buses each for Amritsar, Jalandhar, and Ludhiana. Charging stations and depots will be built for this. All three cities will be given the tag of Green and Clean City. This will be a big step towards making the air of the state usable for breathing. The Punjab government is preparing to run electric buses in Mohali with the cooperation of the central government. A meeting has been held with the center regarding this. Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had praised the plan of the Punjab government.
5) Surface water will be used in big cities
The Punjab government has decided to take concrete steps toward reducing the indiscriminate use of ground water in several major districts including Amritsar, Jalandhar, and Ludhiana. The Aam Aadmi Party government has announced that now the time has come to save ground water. For this, surface water will be used, which is a big step for environmental protection and water management.
The government has planned that water will be taken from the Upper Doaba Canal. It will be filtered using advanced techniques and delivered to people's homes through pipelines. The scheme aims not only to improve the quality of domestic water supply but also to prevent the decline in water level.
6) 260 sports nurseries will be started
The Punjab government is taking big steps to promote sports and education. A plan has been made to open 1000 sports nurseries across the state, out of which 260 sports nurseries will be started this year. The aim of these nurseries is to encourage the youth towards sports and prepare talented players. The government has completed the recruitment process of about 300 coaches and supervisors for these sports nurseries. These nurseries will be operational soon.
The government has announced to start the School of Happiness project to improve the field of education along with sports. This project has been specially designed to improve the quality of primary education. Under this, teachers will be given training in Finland.
In countries like India, special training is being given so that they can provide better and enjoyable education to children by adopting modern and holistic education methods.
7) Trains of Punjab
Improvement work is going on on the New Delhi-Amritsar rail line to increase the speed of trains in Punjab. Earlier, super-fast trains had to reduce speed due to the railway track on the Domoria bridge near Ludhiana. This problem is now going to end soon. The upgrade work being done by the railways will allow super-fast trains and other modern trains to pass through this route without reducing speed.
Under this project, the railway lines are being upgraded with modern technology, which will increase the speed of trains and also reduce travel time. This work is expected to be completed by March 2025.
This improvement will make the rail network of Punjab more accessible and faster, providing better facilities to the passengers and also improving railway operations. After the upgrade, trains will be able to run at their high speed without any interruption, which will improve the passenger experience and also increase the traffic capacity.
8) Flights will start from Halwara International Airport
The construction work of Halwara International Airport in Ludhiana is going on at a fast pace and reports suggest that it will start for passenger flights in March 2025. The project is being implemented by the PWD department through construction agencies, although some deadlines have already expired. Domestic flights will be started here in the first phase.
Halwara Airport is spread over 161.28 acres, and its terminal area size is 2,000 square meters. The airport will also have a landing facility for a 172-seater aircraft, making it ready to land large aircraft.
The total cost of this project is estimated to be around Rs 70 crore, which includes other construction work except the cost of land. Halwara Airport will become an important transport hub for Ludhiana and surrounding areas, which will not only increase travel convenience but will also help in regional development. This airport will also prove to be important in terms of business and tourism.
9) Renovated Jalandhar Cantt Railway Station
The renovation of Jalandhar Cantt Railway Station is going to be completed this year. The station is being constructed afresh by the central government so that passengers can get better facilities. The authority had set a cost of Rs 99 crore for this project. This project is important to improve the railway traffic situation in Jalandhar and add modern facilities.
Jalandhar Cantt Railway Station is one of the busiest railway traffic routes in Punjab, where trains operate 110 times a day. The station is located on important rail routes and is the destination of millions of passengers. After the renovation, the facilities and passenger experience here are likely to improve significantly.
The new facilities will focus on better waiting areas, modern terminals, cleanliness, and passenger safety. The aim of this project is not only to improve passenger amenities but also to increase the capacity and operation of the railway network.