Intermodal Terminal to Come Up in Uttar Pradesh
Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) will construct Intermodal Terminal at Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur and will be linked to both National Waterways-I (NW-1) or river Ganga and National Highway-19 - connecting Ghazipur to Patna - and help in movement of cargo, with options for both land and water transportation.
Union Minister for Shipping Nitin Gadkari, will lay the foundation stone for an Intermodal Terminal at Ghazipur in Uttar Pradesh today (25 January).
The intermodal terminal at Ghazipur will have linkage to both NW-I or River Ganga and NH-19 which is just 650 metres away. NH19 links Ghazipur in Uttar Pradesh with Patna in Bihar. The terminal will thus be very important for efficient movement of large and small cargo by providing the 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. It will have a handling capacity of 12 lac tonnes 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. IWAI plans to run LNG fuelled vessels on NW1. The terminal is expected to provide between 5000 direct and indirect jobs. The first phase of the terminal construction is expected to be completed by April, 2020.
The intermodal terminal at Ghazipur is one of the several sub projects under the Rs 5369 Crore Jal Marg Vikas project. The 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.
IWAI is building this infrastructure along Ganga or NW-I to make the river navigable for cargo vessels. The development of this waterway would result in an environment friendly, fuel efficient and cost-effective alternative mode of transportation, especially for bulk goods, hazardous goods and over dimensional cargo.
NW-1 is an important constituent of the Eastern Transport Corridor of India, along with the proposed Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor and National Highway -2. This corridor connects the National Capital Region (NCR) with the eastern and north-eastern states, and will also be an important link to Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Nepal and other east and south-east Asian countries through the Kolkata Port and Indo- Bangladesh Protocol Route. Jal Marg Vikas project could therefore turn River Ganga into an economic lifeline for the region.
