Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways
Haldia Multi Modal Terminal to come up by end of 2019, said IWAI Chairman
Kolkata-Nepal cargo transportation through National Waterway 1
Kolaghat to be extended port of call in the Indo-Bangla Protocol
Route, said IWAI Chairman
Posted On:
07 JUN 2019 3:12PM by PIB Kolkata
The Haldia Muti-Modal Terminal (MMT) will be ready by the end of 2019 while the Sahebganj MMT of the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) is scheduled to be started by July, stated Shri Pravir Pandey, Chairman of IWAI, here today. Shri Pandey said, the National Waterway 1 over River Ganga from Haldia to Varanasi will be used in a big way for cargo transportation from Kolkata to Nepal. He said, both the countries have accepted 3 routes over NW1 and then partly through road for cargo transportation from Kolkata to various destinations of Nepal. It involves waterway transportation from Kolkata to: 1) inland port Sahebganj and then by road to Biratnagar, 2) inland port Kalughat in Bihar and then by road to Biratnagar and 3) inland port Varanasi and from there by road to Nepalganj or Mahindranagar. On the issue of Indo-Nepal waterway connectivity, he added, River Gandak has also been discussed for cargo transportation by both the countries.
Speaking about Jal Marg Vikas Project in West Bengal, the Chairman of IWAI stated, Kolaghat will be developed as an extended port of call in the India-Bangladesh Protocol Route and National Highway 41 will be connected to this inland port at Kolaghat on Rupnarayan river. Further, dredging has been started at Shirajgunj in the India-Bangladesh Protocol route that will connect North-East India through Bangladesh over waterways. He also said, Farakka Navigation Block in West Bengal is expected to be readied for inauguration by June 2020. He said, usage of ro-ro vessels has immense scope in inland waterways of West Bengal and will lead to decongestion of road traffic here.
Shri Pravir Pandey was speaking at ‘Inland Waterway Summit’ organised in association with Indian Chamber of Commerce in Kolkata today. Shri Pandey stated that the Centre is attaching much importance to the low cost, environmentally viable and ecologically sustainable transportation option of inland waterways. Expenditures incurred on land acquisition, rehabilitation and resettlement being minimal in case of developing waterways, most of the fund for Jal Marg Vikas Project can be allotted towards technological processes. ‘Freight villages’ are being developed near MMTs of inland ports for cargo aggregation and warehousing purpose, he added. Shri Pandey said, after National Waterways Act 2016 came into being in April 2016, River Ganga was studied for the first time from transportation point of view. He said, out of 111 national waterways, NWAI is working to develop 10 potentially good national waterways throughout country. The Ministry of Shipping has tied up with the Ministry of Tourism to boost cruise tourism through the inland waterways.
AM/SC
(Release ID: 1573650)
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