Prime Minister Narendra Modi received the first consignment of containers moving on the river Ganga from Kolkata to Varanasi on Monday. The PM revived India's inland waterways for freight movement and the first Multi-Modal Terminal under Jal Marg Vikas Project.
"Today is a historic day for all of Kashi, east India and the whole of India. Today, the whole country have become witness to that work of development which was supposed to be done decades ago, but wasn't done," said PM Modi taking a dig at the Congress.
The Jal Marg Vikas Project, implemented by the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), involves construction of three multi-modal terminals (Varanasi, Sahibganj and Haldia), two inter-modal terminals, five roll-on-roll-off terminal pairs, integrated vessel repair and maintenance facility among others.
The total estimated cost of the project is Rs 5,369.18 crore, which will be equally shared between the Government and the World Bank. It aims to develop the stretch of the river between Varanasi and Haldia for navigation of large vessels weighing up to 1,500 to 2,000 tonne thus providing a cheaper and cleaner option for transportation of goods.
"The decision to use water as a mean of transport was taken in 1986 but no work was properly started before Modi ji became the PM in 2014. This year we will transport 80 lakh tonne of cargo. After this, within 1-2 years, 270 lakh tonne of transport will flow through Ganga. If it takes Rs 10 to travel through road, Rs 6 through railways, it will cost only Rs 1 via waterway," said union minister Nitin Gadkari.
However, maintaining a drought of 2 to 3 metres in this stretch of Ganga river for smooth navigation of ships remains a challenge that will be put to test in the summer months when flow of water in Ganga reduces to a trickle.
In a big development push in his Lok Sabha constituency Varanasi, the PM inaugurated a slew of projects. PM Modi inaugurated the 16.55-km-long Varanasi Ring Road Phase-I built at a cost of Rs 759.36 crore, while the work of four-laning and construction of 17.25 km Babatput-Varanasi road on NH-56 cost Rs 812.59 crore. He also inaugurated two sewage infrastructure projects worth Rs 425.41 crore in Varanasi and laid the foundation stone for another project worth Rs 72.91 crore for Ramnagar.
(With Agency inputs)
