India’s New Mega Projects Explained: Karnataka Gets Rs 15,600 Crore Boost Including World’s First LED-Dome Planetarium; Noida's Rs 2,300 Crore Metro Corridor

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Karnataka on November 13, as the Union Cabinet has cleared a metro extension connecting Noida and Greater Noida. The developments underline massive investments in public transport, energy and regional connectivity. Meanwhile, he also cleared Rs 2.3K-crore Metro corridor between Noida, Greater Noida expected to be developed in 2031.

Karnataka to See Projects Worth Over Rs 15,600 Crore

PM Modi is scheduled to unveil and lay the foundation stone for projects worth more than Rs 15,600 crore in Bengaluru. He will flag off Bengaluru Metro's Pink Line stretch between Kalena Agrahara and Tavarekere and take a metro ride from Tavarekere towards IIM Bangalore.

The package covers urban mobility, renewable energy transmission, petroleum infrastructure, waste management and railways. Projects in Koppal, Gadag and Bidar will shift renewable power into the grid, alongside further transmission infrastructure in Davanagere, Chitradurga and Ballari.

Modi will also dedicate India's largest underground LPG storage cavern at Mangaluru, with a capacity of 80,000 metric tonnes, and inaugurate the Devangonthi petroleum marketing terminal. A compressed biogas plant at Haralakunte in Bengaluru will handle about 300 tonnes of municipal waste daily.

Meanwhile, Rail projects encompass four rebuilt stations under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, the Bagalkot-Wandal railway doubling section and electrification of the Sakleshpur-Subrahmanya Road ghat area. PM is also slated to launch the Bengaluru-Mangaluru-Madgaon Vande Bharat Express. In Mysuru, he will unveil the COSMOS planetarium, India's first LED dome planetarium. 

All About India's first LED dome planetarium

The country’s maiden LED dome planetarium is the COSMOS-Mysuru Planetarium, will be situated on the University of Mysore campus at the foothills of Chamundi Hills in Mysuru, Karnataka. It will boast a 15-metre tilted 8K resolution dome built with around 6,150 panels and 4.2 crore LEDs controlled in real time for contrasting bright visuals.

Noida-Greater Noida Metro Aqua Line Extension Gets Cabinet Nod

Besides Karnataka, other Indian cities are also witnessing prominent massive projects. The Union Cabinet has cleared an 8.449-km extension of the Noida Metro's Aqua Line, at an estimated cost of Rs 2,390 crore. The corridor will encompass from Noida Sector 51 to Greater Noida Sector 4 and encompass five elevated stations: Sectors 61, 70, 122 and 123, and Greater Noida Sector 4.

A primary feature will be an interchange with the Delhi Metro Blue Line at Sector 61. Once functional, the combined metro network in Noida and Greater Noida is likely to expand to 71.878 km. The route is targetted to bolster access to offices, schools, hospitals, malls and residential areas, while easing road traffic.