Jal Marg Vikas Project (JMVP) for capacity augmentation of navigation on National Waterway-1 (NW-1) is being implemented at a cost of Rs 5369.18 crore with the technical assistance and investment support of the World Bank. The Project is expected to be completed by March 2023.
The project would enable commercial navigation of 1500-2000 ton vessels from Haldia to Varanasi. The scope of project includes development and maintenance of mammoth infrastructure like multi-modal and inter-modal terminals, Roll on - Roll off (Ro-Ro) facilities, ferry services, navigation aids. To promote environment friendly initiatives, and development of LNG bunkering facilities along the corridor is also envisaged.
The Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly river system from Haldia to Allahabad has been declared as National Waterway -1 (NW-1) of about 1,620 km in length which passes through the States of West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
Inland Water Transport (IWT) on NW-1 has the potential to form the most economic, reliable, safe and environmentally friendly form of transport. In future, it is expected to complement the rail and road infrastructure as well as contribute in bringing down the logistics cost in the country.
