Under the Jal Marg Vikas Project (JMVP), three multimodal terminals (MMTs) at Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh), Sahibganj (Jharkhand) & Haldia (West Bengal) and one inter-modal terminal (IMT) at Kalughat (Bihar) have been developed on National Waterway (NW)-1(River Ganga).

Two terminals namely MMT Haldia and IMT Kalughat have been handed over to private concessionaire for Operations & Management (O&M). MMT Haldia has been awarded to concessionaire on Equip, Operate & Transfer (EOT) model of Public-Private Partnership (PPP). The concession period is for 10 years and as per contract the concessionaire has agreed to pay a royalty of Rs. 105.03 per metric ton on cargo handled at the terminal. Similarly, IMT Kalughat has been awarded to concessionaire for O&M for a period of 30 years on revenue sharing basis and as per the contract the concessionaire has agreed to share 38.3% revenue with the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), an autonomous organization under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways.

Apart from development of terminals as mentioned above, Dredging Management Plan (DMP) has been developed to augment the capacity of NW-1 so that vessels with carrying capacity of 1500-2000 Metric Tons (MT) can ply safely. As per DMP, 45 m bottom width and depth of 3 m is to be maintained from Haldia to Barh, 2.5 m from Barh to Ghazipur and 2.2m from Ghazipur to Varanasi. Accordingly, NW-1 has been divided into 10 stretches for fairway development and maintenance, for which the works have been awarded for 3 years. Further, all the terminals on the NW-1 are connected by road with nearest National Highways. Railway connectivity for terminals at Varanasi, Sahibganj & Haldia is envisaged and Detailed Project Report of respective MMTs have been prepared by Indian Port Rail & Ropeway Corporation Ltd..

The cargo movement on NW-1 has increased by 220% from 5.05 MillionTon in 2014-15 to 16.38 Million Ton in 2024-25.

This information was given by the Union Minister for Port Shipping and waterways in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha.

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