The first phase of the national waterway project is taking shape with the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) awarding the contract for construction of the multi-modal terminal at Sahibganj in Jharkhand  to Larson & Tourbo (L&T).

With the targeted completion of Phase-1 in 2019, the terminal will have a cargo handling capacity of 2.28 million metric tonnes per annum.

Given Jharkhand’s coal reserves of nearly 80 billion tonnes, the location of the multi-modal terminal at Sahibganj is especially significant. It will play an important role in transportation of domestic coal from the local mines to intended thermal power plants owing to its good railway connectivity. Besides coal, stone-chips are also expected to be transported through the terminal.

The multi-modal terminal will have facilities including berthing space for two vessels, stockyard for storing, belt conveyor system with fixed hoppers, barge loader, shore protection works, roads, ramps and parking area, and terminal buildings.

The Sahibganj terminal is the second out of the three multi-modal terminals planned under the Ganga Jal Marg Vikas Project. Earlier in May, IWAI awarded the contract to construct a multi-modal terminal at Varanasi to AFCONS Infrastructure Ltd. The third terminal will be constructed at Haldia in West Bengal.

The government is developing National Waterway-1 under the Jal Marg Vikas Project, with technical and financial assistance of the World Bank at an estimated cost of Rs. 4,200 crore. The project would enable commercial navigation of vessels with capacity of 1500-2,000 tons.

Phase-I of the project covers the Haldia-Varanasi stretch. The project includes development of fairway, Multi-Modal Terminals at Varanasi, Haldia, and Sahibganj, strengthening of river navigation system, conservancy works, modern River Information System (RIS), Digital Global Positioning System (DGPS), night navigation facilities, modern methods of channel marking, construction of a new state of the art navigational lock at Farakka.

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