India plans infra blitz in J&K for both civilian and military use

Mint

15-05-2025

New Delhi: As all goes quiet on the western front, India has made its next move clear: doubling down on infrastructure development in the Union territory of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) to bolster both civilian life and military readiness in the sensitive region.
An array of projects, from critical mineral extraction and railway links to expansive waterways and fortified highways is being fast-tracked, according to two people aware of the matter.
'Several projects being implemented would be dual-use infrastructure that can be used both for civilian and military uses," one of the people cited above said on condition of anonymity, adding that such infrastructure is not new as it was included earlier in the PM Gati Shakti National Mission for providing multi-modal connectivity.
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The second person said that major projects aimed at bringing economic growth to the region, which are also of strategic importance, would continue with enhanced security measures.
A renewed focus on critical mineral mining will set the ball rolling, followed by throwing open a railway project connecting Jammu with Srinagar, according to the people cited above. Next step: complete and expand hydro projects in J&K while building a waterway network on several river channels including Chenab and Jhelum to provide alternate modes of transport for both public and cargo.
Development of new highways and strengthening of the existing road network will also be taken up on a fast-track basis, while certain stretches would be developed as dual-use infrastructure to effectively counter any provocation from across the border by providing emergency landing facilities for military aircraft.
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Queries sent to the ministries of mines, railways, road transport and highways, and ports, shipping and waterways remained unanswered till press time.
'Our infrastructure is fully equipped to handle any eventuality and support the military in case such a need arises," said Vaibhav Dange, an independent infrastructure expert. 'The dual-use highways are not for regular use for military purposes but can be used in emergency situations such as conflicts."
The lithium manoeuvre
The first port of call is development of the Union territory as a centre for critical mineral mining, particularly lithium. The mineral, which is used widely in electric vehicles (EVs), electronics industry and the energy sector, is currently completely imported, largely from China, which dominates both exports of the mineral and downstream components. According to commerce ministry data, India imported lithium worth around $1.3 billion in FY24.
India discovered its first major lithium reserve in the Salal-Haimana area of Reasi district of J&K in 2023. The Geological Survey of India (GSI) established an inferred resource (G3) of 5.9 million tonnes of lithium ore in the area. However, initial bidding rounds for a block Salal-Haimana had to be scrapped for want of investor interest.
According to the first person cited above, the Centre is likely to add two new lithium blocks up for auction in addition to the earlier one.
'The GSI will now conduct a fresh survey and also look at other critical mineral reserves in the region, which is likely to be completed in the next two-three months," the second person cited above said. 'Following this, it is expected that two more blocks will also be up for auction, likely by the end of 2025."
Rajib Maitra, partner with Deloitte India, said that the government needs to improve geological understanding through advanced exploration and clearly share reserve data to ensure successful future auctions. 'This needs to be complemented by streamlined and block operationalization frameworks, along with targeted fiscal incentives," he said.
Maitra added that investments in research and development are critical given the technical challenges in getting lithium out of the J&K deposits due to low mineral concentration and its complex clay-hosted nature. 'India must develop or adapt advanced extraction technologies suitable for these deposits, which can be achieved through joint ventures and technology partnerships with international players," he said.
Experts have also suggested doing more thorough exploration, moving beyond the basic level (called G3) already done in the Reasi block to more detailed studies known as G2 and G1 in mining parlance under the United Nations Framework Classification for Resources (UNFC).
Abhijit Kulkarni, senior partner for metals & mining at EY-Parthenon India, believes moving to G2 or G1 and clearly showing the amount of reserves, their quality, and how much can be extracted will build confidence. If GSI can prove that extracting the minerals is technically feasible and affordable, it can reduce perceived risks.
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'There is a need to explore the auction of clusters of leases. There needs to be a minimum size of resource (both reserves and area) to be able to make sense for miners to optimally explore further and monetize extraction later," he said, adding that current smaller leases create sub-optimality for both technical and economics of extraction.
Amit Bhargava, partner and national head for mining & metals at KPMG in India also stressed on going beyond G3 and the need for international collaboration to get technological knowhow. According to Bhargava, working with countries like the US, which have advanced lithium technology, could bring in the necessary funding for more thorough exploration (G2 level). This could also help address security concerns and make the Reasi lithium projects seem more economically viable.
Other projects
Meanwhile, talks are underway to accelerate hydro electric projects–both under-construction and planned. On 12 May, to improve water transportation within the region, the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) opened an office in Srinagar. This office is up and running with immediate effect and will be the main centre for all water transport projects in the Union territory.
IWAI will now start work on the planned river navigation infrastructure in three national waterways–NW-26 (Chenab river), NW-49 (Jhelum) and NW-84 (Ravi). The plan includes setting up of floating jetties at 10 locations in J&K, development of navigational fairway by dredging wherever required, night navigational aids, and regular hydrographic surveys for safe plying of vessels.
Meanwhile, as many as 47 highway projects spanning 810 km in J&K, costing about ₹42,000 crore, are under implementation. These include the Jammu-Udhampur-Srinagar corridor, Jammu-Chenani-Anantnag corridor, Surankote-Shopian-Baramulla-Uri corridor, Jammu-Akhnoor-Surankote-Poonch corridor, and the Kathua-Basohli-Bhaderwah-Doda corridor.
Several of these projects are now expected to be completed in the current fiscal itself.