New Delhi, Aug 24 (IANS): Railways Minister Piyush Goyal on Monday reviewed the progress of the ambitious Dedicated Freight Corridors, and was apprised that the Western Corridor, connecting Dadri in Uttar Pradesh to Jawaharlal Nehru Port (JNPT) in Mumbai, and the Eastern Corridor, starting from Sahnewal near Ludhiana (Punjab) to terminate at Dankuni in West Bengal, will be completed by December 2021.

Goyal also directed the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Ltd (DFFCIL) management team to take necessary steps to speed up the project to compensate the loss of time due to the lockdown.

The Railway Ministry said that Goyal, during the meeting, also advised the officials to identify the most challenging area and come up with solution in a mission mode.

"He suggested that involving young fresh minds to suggest best solutions may be encouraged," the ministry said.

"During the meeting, it was decided that strict monitoring of work of all contractors to be done. Resolution of all issues, including coordination with the states, to be done on a mission mode. Innovative mechanisms to constantly monitor the weekly progress of the project to be evolved," it said.

The DFC is one of the largest rail infrastructure projects undertaken by the government. The overall cost is pegged at Rs 81,459 crore.

DFCCIL has been set up as a special purpose vehicle to undertake planning, development, mobilisation of financial resources, construction, maintenance and operation of the 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) spanning a total length of 3,360 route km.