IWAI plans to popularise NW1 by constructing terminals

Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), an agency under the shipping ministry, has drawn up plans to popularise a part of the National Waterways I (NW1) stretching from Varanasi to Haldia by setting up multi-modal terminals along the route.
Chairman of IWAI Amitabh Verma said three terminals would come up in Varanasi at a cost of Rs 169 crore, one at Sahebganj in Jharkhand (Rs 300 crore) and Haldia (Rs 500 crore).
Also a new navigation lock gate would be set up in the feeder canal near Farakka in West Bengal at a cost of Rs 380 crore, he told reporters at a news conference here today.

Verma said cargo movement had not really picked up along the water corridor since its start for which it was meant for.
"It was expected that a large portion of rail and road traffic would be diverted to the water route as a result of which congestion on the roads would ease to some extent," he said.
During 2015-16, only 5.6 million tonnes was carried along the Varanasi-Haldia segment, he said.

To make the corridor more popular, IWAI also held a stakeholders' conference today along with the World Bank which was financing 50 per cent of the total project cost.

Besides, IWAI had also plans to operate 40 ferry services to passengers along the corridor.
Verma said the water corridor would also provide a link to the proposed Dedicated Freight Corridor between Dankuni and Ludhiana.
Plans are also there to use the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol Route through Ashuganj round the year, he added.