Prime Minister Narendra Modi will dedicate to the nation the newly constructed Multi-Modal Terminal on River Ganga at Varanasi on Monday, the 12th of November, 2018. This is the first of the three Multi-Modal Terminals and two Inter-Modal Terminals being constructed on the river.

The MMTs are being built as part of the Government’s Jal Marg Vikas project that aims to develop the stretch of River Ganga between Varanasi to Haldi for navigation of large vessels upto1500-2000 tonnes weight, by maintaining a drought of 2-3 meters in this stretch of the river and setting up other systems required for safe navigation.

Prime Minister Modi will also receive India’s first container vessel that sailed from Kolkata on 30th October 2018, carrying cargo belonging to PEPSICO (India) from Kolkata to Varanasi. Container movement on an inland waterway in India is being done for the first time post-independence. The IWAI vessel, MV RABINDRANATH TAGORE is transporting 16 containers equivalent to 16 truckloads of food and snacks and is expected to reach Varanasi on 11th November 2018.

The vessel will make its return journey with fertilisers belonging to IFFCO that will be procured from its Phulpur plant near Allahabad.

The NW1 would enable commercial navigation of vessels with capacity of 1500-2,000 DWT. It is being developed under the Jal Marg Vikas Project (JMVP) from Haldia to Varanasi covering a distance of 1390 km.

The container cargo transport comes with several inherent advantages -- it reduces the handling cost, allows easier modal shift, reduces pilferage and damage, it also enables cargo owners to reduce their carbon footprints. The objective is to promote inland waterways as a cheaper and more environment-friendly means of transport, especially for cargo movement.

The project entails construction of three multi-modal terminals (Varanasi, Sahibganj and Haldia); two intermodal terminals; five roll on-roll off (Ro-Ro) terminal pairs; new navigation lock at Farakka; assured depth dredging; integrated vessel repair and maintenance facility, differential global positioning system (DGPS), river information system (RIS), river training and river conservancy works, the release said.

The Ganga - Bhagirathi - Hooghly river system between Haldia (Sagar) and Allahabad (1620 km) was declared as National Waterway No.1 (NW-1) in 1986.

Since then Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) is carrying out various developmental works on the waterway for improvement of its navigability and development and maintenance of other infrastructure such as terminals and navigation aids as laid down in the IWAI Act, 1985.

In the maiden container since Independence on inland vessel MV Rabindranath Tagore, food and beverages major PepsiCo is moving its 16 containers -- equivalent to 16 truckloads -- from Kolkata to Varanasi.

The objective is to promote inland waterways as a cheaper and more environment-friendly means of transport, especially for cargo movement. Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) is the project Implementing Agency.

The Jal Marg Vikas Project (JMVP) is being implemented on the Haldia-Varanasi stretch of National Waterway-1 (NW-1) with the technical assistance and investment support of the World Bank, at an estimated cost of Rs. 5,369.18 crores (USD 800 million, of which USD 375 is IBRD loan) on a 50:50 sharing basis between Government of India and the World Bank.

The project entails construction of 3 multimodal terminals (Varanasi, Sahibganj, and Haldia); 2 intermodal terminals; 5 Roll On – Roll Off (Ro-Ro) terminal pairs; new navigation lock at Farakka; assured depth dredging; integrated vessel repair & maintenance facility, Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS), River Information System (RIS), river training & river conservancy works.

Salient features of Varanasi Multi-Modal Terminal (MMT)

• First Multi-Modal Terminal on National Waterway -1.
• Land: 33.34 hectares.
• Cost of Phase-I of MMT: Rs. 206.84 cr.
• Terminal capacity: 1.26 MPTA
• Start date of the project: June 2016
• The completion date of the project: November 2018

The following are the main ingredients of the project, which are ready for operations:

• Jetty: Length 200 m x Width 42 m with berthing and mooring facility.
• 02 Mobile Harbour Cranes
• Approach Road
• Internal Road
• Stone Pitching Works and bank protection
• Shell structure of ancillary buildings, worker amenity building ready

Operation, management and further development of the Multi-Modal Terminal is proposed to be entrusted to an Operator on PPP model. Selection of the PPP Operator through an International Competitive Bidding is at an advanced stage and expected to be completed by December 2018.

The project of the multi-modal terminal and proposed Freight Village at Varanasi are expected to generate 500 direct employment and more than 2000 indirect employment opportunities.

Courtesy: TheTimes of India and Urbantransport News