Maruti in talks with waterways body for Varanasi-Haldia route

The Centre’s focus on developing an all-weather inland waterway transport option along the 1,600-km stretch of Ganga from Varanasi to Haldia has attracted the attention of corporates.

Maruti Suzuki India recently approached the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), the nodal agency for Jal Marg Vikas project, to explore the opportunity to access eastern markets through this route.

“Maruti has approached us to discuss the possibilities,” Pravir Pandey, Member Finance of IWAI, and Head of the World Bank-assisted project for development of the waterway, told newspersons here. Pandey was in the city in connection with a coordination meeting for the Jalmarg project.

IWAI helped NTPC to award a pioneering contract for trans-shipment of imported coal to Farakka thermal power plant and is currently working on another NTPC tender to take fuel further up to Barh near Patna.

The tender has already been floated twice without much success. Efforts are on to convince more power plants to use the waterway for carrying coal.

Discussions are on with the Sagardighi power plant of West Bengal government in this regard.

To ensure smooth movement of cargo, IWAI will soon float a tender to set up a second navigation lock at Farakka. This will ensure dedicated locks for upstream and downstream cargoes.

Also, the time for a vessel to pass the lock will be brought down from the existing two hours to 45 minutes.

A study will also be launched to form river bank protection needs on erosion-prone zones as part of the project.

“Our first priority is to ensure round-the-clock movement of barges on the river. We have already created digitised river information system for movement of cargo up to Farakka that monitors vessels and helps the correct course on real time basis,” Pandey said.

“Right now, barges carrying coal are returning empty. But, in future, it will open tremendous opportunity for movement of fly-ash, stone chips down the river,” he said.

The IWAI has already conducted a pilot project of bringing simple fertiliser from IFFCO facility in North India to Haldia and taking complex fertilisers on return cargo.

Pandey said six multi-modal terminals will be set up along the Ganga from Varanasi to Haldia. These will help access wider market.

Of the six, IWAI has already awarded the contract for Varanasi.

Two more contracts for terminals at Haldia in West Bengal and Sahebgunj are expected to be firmed up this year.

“We have launched studies for three more terminals. The locations are yet to be finalised,” he said.