National Waterways 1 & 2 projects’ work done 60 to 70% : Sarbananda Sonowal
NEW DELHI : The work on developing the National Waterways is proceeding at a rapid pace with over 61 per cent of the physical and financial progress in the ongoing work of National Waterway 1 (NW-1) on the Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly River System (Haldia – Allahabad) and over 71 per cent work on NW-2 covering the Brahmaputra River (Dhubri – Sadiya) has been completed, Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways Shri Sarbananda Sonowal told the Lok Sabha on Friday.
On NW-1 Jal Marg Vikas Project, the major components are Multi-modal Terminal at Varanasi, Sahibganj and Haldia, construction of New Navigational Lock at Farakka, modernisation of old lock gate at Farakka, Kalughat Intermodal Terminal, and Fairway Development with physical progress of 61.79 per cent and financial progress of 61.57 per cent having been completed, the Minister said in a written reply.
Similarly, in the comprehensive development of NW-2, as much as 71.23 per cent of the physical and financial progress has been achieved.
The major components of the project are construction of Bogibeel cargo terminal, construction of terminal at Jogighopa, development of approach road from Pandu Port Terminal to NH-27 and development of Ship Repair Facility at Pandu, Guwahati (Assam) and fairway development, he explained.
As far as the comprehensive development of NW-16 and Indo Bangladesh Protocol Route is concerned, 16.39 per cent of the work has been completed.
The major components are Construction of Terminal at Sonamura on Gumti river, Upgradation of Badarpur and Karimganj Terminals, Construction of Office building, and residential complex alongwith boundary wall in Silchar and Procurement of one Amphibian Dredger and Survey Vessel and fairway development, the minister stated.
In the development of another 23 National Waterways (consisting of NW-3, NW-4, NW-5 and 16 new NWs) for the purpose of shipping & navigation, as much as 47.84 per cent of the work has been completed.
The major components are Fairway Development, Terminal Development and allied Infrastructure, Hydrography Survey, charting & RIS etc., Sonowal said.
These include NW-3 covering West Coast Canal (Kottapuram – Kollam), Champakara and Udyogmandal Canals, NW 4 Krishna River (Vijayawada – Muktyala), NW 5 Dhamra-Paradip via Mangalagadi to Pankopal, NW 8 Alappuzha- Changanassery Canal NW 27, Cumberjua River (Cortalim-Ferry to Sao MartiasVidhan Parisad) among others.