Bhubaneswar: Transport Minister Padmanabha Behera Wednesday told the Assembly that the government has planned to use the waterways to link India’s largest coalfield of Talcher with West Bengal.
He said that the works have also started on this front. The waterway – National Waterways-5 has been planned to connect Talcher with Geonkhali in West Bengal.
The information was given by the minister when a reply was sought from the minister on the issue of progress of works on waterways from Jokadia to Dhamra and Paradip port.
“Work has started for the first phase of 588-km National Waterways between Talcher and Geonkhali in West Bengal,” he said. Behera said that works have also started between Jokadia/Pankapal to Talcher.
The shipping ministry has collaborated between IWAI and Paradip Port Trust for developing a viable navigation system on the National Waterway-5 in the state for its maiden phase (Pankapal-Paradip/Dhamra on the Brahmani Mahanadi river system) to facilitate movement of cargo vessels of economical size and viable capacity.
The development activities in Phase-I of NW-5 will include fairway development water stretch which includes dredging, river training works, bank protection works; terminal construction with cargo handling facilities, off shore structures and related activities; and navigational aids including River Information System among others.
The Paradip Port Trust under the MoU is likely to assist IWAI in project management, supervision, services including planning, designing, consultancy in respect of the works related to fairway development, terminals construction and other related infrastructure works on NW-5.
PNN