It’s a famous watershed that promises to be a game-changer: the inauguration of India’s first multi-modal terminal on the Ganga River at Varanasi. The first consignment of food and beverage from Kolkata in 13 containers was received at Varanasi.
It was the first of the four multi-modal terminals being constructed on the National Waterway – 1 as part of the World Bank aided Jal Marg Vikas projects. Like the NHAI for highways is the Inland Waterways Authority of India. It has constructed this project at the cost of Rs.5369 crore.
The waterway will facilitate navigation of vessels weighing up to 2000 tons. The project has three multi-modal terminals, five roll-on-roll-off terminals that will promote fully loaded trucks to drive into the ships and also drive out at the destination.
Nitin Gadkari deserves full praise for his focus on harnessing the cheap, environment-friendly use of waterways for the movement of goods and services.
The National Waterway – 2 with a length of 891 km will enable such movements on the Brahmaputra river in Assam. National Waterway – 3, called west coast canal, is located in Kerala and runs from Kollam to Kottapuram for a length of 205 km. There is also a word of cheer for AP-Tamil Nadu-Puducherry: the National Waterway – 4 will connect Kakinada and Puducherry through the Buckingham Canal, Pulicat Lake and the Godavari and Krishna rivers to a length of 1095 km. This should revive river navigation through the Buckingham canal that was in vogue till the 1950s.
The Sagarmaala and Bharatmaala schemes, again under the charge of Gadkari, promise to revolutionise coastal shipping and also give a big boost to highway development.
