Union Minister Nitin Gadkari will tomorrow lay the foundation stone for an intermodal terminal at Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh, being built at an estimated cost of Rs 155 crore.
"The Rs 155 crore terminal is being constructed by the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) as part of the World Bank aided Jal Marg Vikas Project on river Ganga or the NW-I, that aims to augment the navigational capacity of the river," Ministry of Shipping said in a statement today.
The intermodal terminal at Ghazipur will have linkage to both NW-I or River Ganga and NH-19 which is just 650 metres away. NH 19 links Ghazipur in Uttar Pradesh with Patna in Bihar.
Apart from the Road Transport, Highways, Shipping, Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Minister Gadkari, Telecom Minister Manoj Sinha and Keshav Prasad Maurya, Deputy Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh will also be present at the event.
"The terminal will be very important for efficient movement of large and small cargo by providing options for both land and water transportation or the option for intermodal switching. The terminal will have facilities like berths, storage areas and sheds, terminal building, communications systems and electrical substation," the statement said.
It said the terminal will have a handling capacity of 12 lakh tonne per annum.
As part of IWAI's efforts to promote environment friendly mode of transport, Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) bunkering facility is also being planned at Ghazipur terminal, it said.
"IWAI plans to run LNG fuelled vessels on NW-1. The terminal is expected to provide between 5,000 direct and indirect jobs. The first phase of the terminal construction is expected to be completed by April, 2020," the statement added.
The intermodal terminal at Ghazipur is one of the several sub-projects under the Rs 5,369 crore Jal Marg Vikas project.
Other sub-projects include construction of three multi modal terminals at Varanasi, Sahibganj and Haldia; a new navigational lock at Farakka, bank protection works, river navigation system, construction of Ro-Ro terminals and another intermodal terminals at Kalughat.
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