Question : Work on Varanasi-Haldia Stretch of National Waterway-I

(a) whether the work on Varanasi-Haldia stretch on National Waterway-I passing through river Ganga has been started and if so, the details thereof;
(b) whether cost of inland water transport is three times less than that of road or air transport and if so, the details thereof;
(c) whether the Government proposes to ensure the smooth movement of cargo/ passengers ships on river Ganga and all other waterways by restoring the water depth wherever it has reduced; and
(d) if so, the details thereof?

) Yes, Madam. Work has started on the Jal Marg Vikas Project (JMVP) for augmentation of navigation capacity on the Haldia-Varanasi stretch of National Waterway-1. It includes construction of multimodal and inter-modal terminals, navigational lock, fairway development, river information system, procurement of vessels etc. The multimodal terminal at Varanasi was inaugurated by the Hon’ble Prime Minister on 12.11.2018.

(b) The cost comparison between Inland Water Transport (IWT), railways and highways as per RITES Report of 2014 on “Integrated National Waterways Transportation Grid”, is given below:

Mode Railways Highways IWT
Freight (Rs./T.km) 1.36 2.50 1.06

(c) & (d) To promote Inland Water Transport (IWT) in the country, 111 (including 5 existing and 106 new) National Waterways (NWs) spread over 24 States have been declared under the National Waterways Act, 2016.

Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) has commissioned techno-economic feasibility and Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) for the NWs. Decision on promoting safe navigation and shipping on technically viable NWs depends on the outcome of these reports.

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