Union minister of ports, shipping and waterways Sarbananda Sonowal on Thursday inaugurated the Kalughat Inland Waterways Terminal (IWT) in Saran district, which will serve as a pivotal link for cargo movement, particularly for Nepal-bound shipments, besides two community jetties in West Champaran.
With its direct access to National Highway-31, the IWT at Kalughat — strategically located on the northern bank of river Ganga in Saran district — will facilitate the cargo movement via Raxaul and the hinterland of north Bihar. Constructed at a cost of Rs 82.48 crore, the terminal’s infrastructure includes a 125m x 30m berth with a capacity of 77,000 TEUs (twenty-foot-equivallent units) annually.
Sonowal said the Kalughat IWT is one of the four Multi-modal Terminals (MMT) developed on National Waterways (NW) in the last 10 years, also including MMT Varanasi, Sahibganj and Haldia. “Three of our neighbouring countries — Bangladesh, Bhutan and Myanmar — have been connected with the waterways leading to an increase in the regional trade,” he said, adding the projects worth Rs 86 crore inaugurated on the day would usher in an all-round economic prosperity to the riverine community of Bihar through enhanced and smoother transportation of goods and passengers.
“Moreover, floating pontoon jetties on river Gandak at Mangalpur and Bettiah in West Champaran have been built to connect Nepal and India via NW37, representing an investment of Rs 3.33 crore. These jetties will significantly enhance market access for producers of various goods, fostering economic exchange,” said a waterways official.
Sonowal further said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Inland Waterways Authority of India has endeavoured to develop the NW-1, passing through Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal, as a reliable cargo logistics route with an investment of about Rs 5,000 crore.
Deputy chief minister Vijay Kumar Sinha and Saran MP Rajiv Pratap Rudy, along with key officials from both central and state governments, were present at the inauguration ceremony.