“Flagging of the vessel named ‘MV Lal Bahadur Shastri’ reminds me of Shastriji’s slogan Jai Jawan Jai Kisan” – Union Minister Piyush Goyal
A new gateway has been opened for the Northeast region of India with flagging off of MV Lal Bahadur Shastri vessel on 5th February 2022. This will initiate the pilot movement of food grains on vessels from Patna (Bihar) to Pandu (Guwahati).
In a virtual ceremony held for the flagging off of the vessel, Union Minister Piyush Goyal said “This 2,350 km voyage will open a new gate to the ‘Gateway of North East’ (Assam) and ensure seamless waterways connectivity to NE Region through Ganga & Brahmaputra rivers.”
With Better Connectivity, heading towards AatmaNirbhar Bharat
Inland vessel MV Lal Bahadur Shastri carrying 200 Metric Ton of food grains belonging to Food Corporation of India was flagged off from Inland Water Terminal Gaighat Patna. The movement via this vessel will make India’s farmers Aatmanirbhar by expanding their reach & providing them better prices and better living.
“This event is a perfect demonstration of PM’s combined vision for ‘Act East’ policy & the inclusive development of Bihar & NE Region”, the Minister added while flagging off the vessel.
This is the first food grain movement on this Inland Water Transport (IWT) route. The transportation via this route will take 25-30 days of the voyage. This will be an integrated IWT movement via National Waterway-1 (River Ganga), NW-97 (Sunderbans), Indo-Bangladesh Protocol (IBP) route and NW-2 (river Brahmaputra).
The vessel Lal Bahadur Shastri will pass through Bhagalpur, Manihari, Sahibganj, Farakka, Tribeni, Kolkata, Haldia, Hemnagar, Khulna, NarayanganjSirajganj, Chilmari, Dhubri, and Jogighopa on its way from Patna to Pandu (Guwahati).
The 2350-kilometre route is expected to demonstrate the technical and commercial viability of the IWT method employing these various waterways. The IWT movement also aims to boost the NorthEast Region’s economic growth by providing an alternative route for commodities transportation.
Foundation Stone Plaque of IWAI Terminal at Kalughat in Bihar unveiled
During the event, Union Minister Piyush Goyal also unveiled the plaque of foundation stone for the terminal at Kalughat in Saran District of Bihar.
The minister stated that the planned intermodal terminal at Kalugha has been approved with a budget of Rs.78 crore. It will provide a boost to the region’s socio-economic development & create multiple job opportunities. This will also help decongest the roads of North Bihar while also channelling an alternative route for transportation of cargo in the area.
Government acting fast & hard towards “Act East”
The Minister informed that for seamless navigation to the North East region, 2 stretches of the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol (IBP) route are being developed in collaboration with Bangladesh covering a budget of Rs. 305 crore.
Moreover, a new scheme in budget with Rs.1,500 cr for North East, named, PM-DevINE intends to fund infrastructure as well as social development projects that will enable livelihood activities for youth & women.
Under PM GatiShakti, the government has identified waterways as one of the 7 engines that are driving transformative approaches for economic growth & sustainable development.
It is the government’s vision to use 7 engines to achieve efficiency to reduce transport costs & remove distance barriers, especially for farmers & MSMEs.
The Centre has undertaken Jal Marg Vikas Project with Rs. 4,600 cr for capacity augmentation of NW-1 (Ganga) that will enable safe movement of vessels up to 2,000 tn. The project also includes construction/setting up of multi-modal terminals at Varanasi, Sahibganj and Haldia, Ro-Ro terminals, jetties, vessel repair & maintenance facilities, etc.
Currently, some eighty connectivity projects are in progress under Sagarmala that will connect commercial hubs with ports. The Minister informed that 106 new waterways in 24 States have been declared as National Waterways, taking the total no. to 111. The development of these rivers would also include maintenance of infrastructure for river shipping, navigation and warehouse
