New Delhi, December 29: Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated the New Bhaupur-New Khurja of the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC) to the nation on Tuesday and said these freight corridors will play a major role in making India self-reliant.

"These freight corridors will play a major role in making India self-reliant. Be it traders, farmers or consumers, everyone will be benefitted from these," said PM Modi through video conferencing. Kisan Rail Will Increase Farmers' Income, Says PM Narendra Modi on Inauguration of 100th Train Service to Transport Fruits and Vegetables.

"We are seeing today, the biggest and modern railway infrastructure project after independence on the ground. Today, when the first goods train ran on the Khurja-Bhaupur freight corridor route, we heard the buzz and roar of the new and self-reliant India," he added.

The Operation Control Centre in Prayagraj is also a symbol of the new power of the new India, the Prime Minister stated.

"It is one of the finest and modern control centres in the world. Everyone will be proud to hear that the technology related to management and data is prepared in India. Infrastructure is the biggest source of power in any nation," said PM Modi.

Connectivity in infrastructure is like the nerves of the nation. The better these veins are, the healthier and stronger a nation is, the Prime Minister said.

"Today, when India has become a major economic force of the world, it is moving fast, the best connectivity is the priority of the country. With this thinking, every aspect of modern connectivity in India has been working with focus over the last six years," he added.

The 351 km New Bhaupur - New Khurja section of EDFC is situated in Uttar Pradesh and is built at a cost of Rs 5,750 crores.

The section will open new vistas of opportunity for the local industries such as aluminium industry (Pukhrayan region of Kanpur Dehat district), dairy sector (Auraiya district), textile production/block printing (Etawah district), glassware industry (Firozabad district), pottery products (Khurja of Bulandshahr district), asafoetida or 'hing' production (Hathras district) and locks and hardware (Aligarh district). The section will also decongest the existing Kanpur - Delhi mainline and will enable Indian Railways to run faster trains.

The EDFC which is envisioned over a route of 1,856 km, starts from Sahnewal near Ludhiana in Punjab and will pass through the states of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand to terminate at Dankuni in West Bengal.

It is being constructed by Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited (DFCCIL), which has been set up as a special purpose vehicle to build and operate Dedicated Freight Corridors.

DFCCIL is also constructing the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (1,504 route km) that connects Dadri in Uttar Pradesh to Jawaharlal Nehru Port in Mumbai and will traverse through the states of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra.