Kolkata: Marking yet another milestone in the development of the National Waterway-1 on the Ganga River, the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) has awarded the contract for constructing a Rs 517 crore state-of-the-art multi-modal terminal at Haldia, West Bengal, to s ITD Cementation Limited. To be completed by August, 2019, IWAI expects 7.95 million tonnes per annum of cargo traffic at the Haldia terminal by 2020. The cargo projection for 2025 is 15.59 MTPA, growing up to 24.04 MTPA in 2045. Given its location, the terminal will be used to transport coal, fly ash, chemicals, petroleum & gas, construction materials, fertilizers and edible items. IWAI chairman Amitabh Verma said, "The Rs 517 crore inland water transport terminal at Haldia, with rail and road interconnectivity, is one of the three multi-modal terminals to come up on river Ganga under the Jal Marg Vikas Project (JMVP) of IWAI.”
This is in line with IWAI's commitment for a time-bound completion of work on NW-1." The Haldia terminal that will be spread across 61 acres of land at the Haldia Dock Complex will have facilities including berthing space for four vessels, stockyard for storing, belt conveyor system with fixed hoppers, barge loader, shore protection works, roads, ramps and parking area, and other terminal buildings.
