Around 1,400 MT of stone chips are being loaded onto barges at the Multimodal Terminal (MMT) Sahibganj for onward transportation to Patna through National Waterway-1 (NW-1), as part of a scheduled inland waterway service under the Jalvahak Scheme.
The movement highlights the growing use of India’s inland waterways for bulk cargo transportation and the potential of NW-1 to support cost-efficient and sustainable freight movement along the Ganga river corridor.
The Jalvahak Scheme, implemented to encourage a modal shift of cargo from road and rail to waterways, provides incentives aimed at making inland water transport more attractive to cargo owners and logistics operators.
The movement of stone chips from Sahibganj to Patna is another example of the utilisation of multimodal terminals and scheduled barge services to connect cargo-generating regions with major consumption and distribution centres.
The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) is promoting greater utilisation of National Waterway-1 and its multimodal infrastructure to increase the share of inland water transport in India’s logistics network. Such cargo movements are expected to contribute to reduced dependence on road transportation and support more sustainable freight logistics.