New Delhi, Aug 24 (PTI) Railway Minister Piyush Goyal reviewed the progress of the ambitious dedicated freight corridor projects and instructed officials to speed up work to compensate for the time lost due to the coronavirus lockdown, the ministry said Monday.

The mega infrastructure project by the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited (DFCCIL) to decongest the railways' network has lost six months due to the pandemic and its deadline has been pushed from December 2021 to June 2022.

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Goyal also instructed officials to implement a system through which work by all contractors is to be monitored strictly, the ministry's statement said.

The Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFC) is one of the largest rail infrastructure projects entailing an overall cost of Rs. 81,459 crore.

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During the meeting on Monday, the statement said, Goyal directed the DFFCIL management to take necessary steps to speed up the project to compensate for the loss of time due to the COVID-19 lockdown.

He also asked the officials to identify the most challenging area and come up with solution in a mission mode. He advised that involving young fresh minds to suggest best solutions may be encouraged.

During the meeting, it was decided that strict monitoring of work of all contractors will be done and resolution of all issues, including coordination with the states, achieved on a mission mode, the statement said.

Innovative mechanisms to constantly monitor the weekly progress of the project will be evolved, it said.

The DFCCIL has been set up as a special purpose vehicle to undertake planning, development, mobilization of financial resources, construction, maintenance and operation of Dedicated Freight Corridors.

In the first phase, the organisation is constructing the Western DFC (1,504 Route km) and Eastern DFC (1,856 route km).

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)