Infrastructure

The development centres on the Baigachhi area of Ashoknagar, around 48 kilometres from Kolkata, where ONGC discovered commercially significant hydrocarbons after decades of exploration across the Bengal Basin. Local reporting describes the latest milestone as the commencement of commercial crude production, while ONGC itself has said that its first commercial hydrocarbon discovery in the basin has taken a decisive step towards monetisation.

The project has been developed for Tata Steel Limited through TP Vardhman Surya Limited, a subsidiary of Tata Power Renewable Energy Limited. Designed as a captive renewable-energy installation, the facility will supply clean electricity for Tata Steel’s requirements while supporting the steelmaker’s broader transition towards lower-emission industrial operations.

Both RAPS-4 at Rawatbhata in Rajasthan and MAPS-2 at Kalpakkam in Tamil Nadu are 220 MWe Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) operated by NPCIL. RAPS-4 entered commercial operation in December 2000, while MAPS-2 has been operating since March 1986. NPCIL’s current operating data confirms that both units remained operational during the April–July period of FY2026-27.

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw outlined the programme on August 26, highlighting the extraordinary concentration of traffic on these corridors. Although the seven high-density routes constitute only about 16% of the Indian Railways network, they carry approximately 41% of the country’s total rail traffic.