• The MV Lal Bahadur Shastri, an Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) vessel, has completed its pilot voyage from Bihar’s Patna to Pandu Port in Guwahati, carrying food grains via Bangladesh.

• A self-propelled vessel, MV Lal Bahadur Shastri carried 200 MT of food grains for Food Corporation of India (FCI).

• The start of cargo movement through ships via the Indo Bangladesh Protocol Route (IBRP) marks the beginning of a new age of economic prosperity for the whole region of the northeast.

• The vessel started its sail on February 5 from Patna on National Waterway-1 (river Ganga) and passed through Bhagalpur, Manihari, Sahibganj, Farakka, Tribeni, Kolkata, Haldia, Hemnagar; Indo Bangladesh Protocol Route through Khulna, Narayanganj, Sirajganj, Chilmari and National Waterway-2 through Dhubri, and Jogighopa and covered a distance of 2,350 km. 

• The IWAI is planning to run a fixed-schedule sailing between National Waterway-1 and National Waterway-2, heralding a new age of inland water transport for Assam and the northeast.

• Another vessel MV Ram Prasad Bismil, with two barges — Kalpana Chawla and APJ Abdul Kalam — has started voyage from Haldia on February 17, and is on the way to Pandu Port. The vessel has already reached the Bangladesh border at Dhubri (Assam).

Improving the connectivity through waterways

• In line with the ‘Act East’ Policy, the ministry of ports, shipping & waterways has taken up several infrastructure projects on National Waterways-1, Indo-Bangladesh Protocol route, and NW2, through the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI). 

• These steps will improve the connectivity with the northeast region through waterways. The government has undertaken the ambitious Jal Marg Vikas Project (JMVP) with an investment of about Rs 4,600 crore for the capacity augmentation of NW-1 (river Ganga) for safe and sustainable movement of vessels upto 2,000 tonnes.

• The efforts to rejuvenate the historical trade routes via Bangladesh got a fillip under PM Gati Shakti. The integrated development plan, under PM Gati Shakti, has been envisioned in order to amp up swift movement of cargo over Brahmaputra. It has been envisioned that northeast will slowly turn and convert into a connectivity hub. 

• The IWAI is also planning to run a regular scheduled service on these routes. The Protocol on Inland Water Transit and Trade (PIWTT) between India and Bangladesh will be optimally beneficial when both sides can unlock the value from the cargo trade in the region. 

• To improve the navigability, two stretches of IBP routes — Sirajganj-Daikhowa and Ashuganj-Zakiganj — are also being developed at a cost of Rs 305.84 crore on an 80:20 share basis (80 per cent being borne by India and 20 per cent by Bangladesh).

• The development of these stretches is expected to provide seamless navigation to the northeast region via the IBP route. The contracts for dredging on the two stretches for providing and maintaining requisite depth for a period of seven years (from 2019 to 2026) are underway. 

• Once the IBP Route No. 5 & 6 from Maia near Farakka in India to Aricha in Bangladesh becomes operational, the IWT distance connecting NW1 to NW2 (North Eastern Region) will further be reduced by nearly 1,000 km, which will reduce time and cost to a great extent.

Additional read:

Inland Waterways may chart new paths for growth in India

India is endowed with various Inland Water Transport (IWT) options that comprise rivers, canals, backwaters, creeks, and tidal inlets. India’s modal share of freight moved on inland waterways has significant potential to improve compared to other best in class benchmarks. It is imperative to increase the share of the country’s inland waterways as they are highly economical and an eco-friendly mode of transport. 

Manorama Yearbook app is now available on Google Play Store and iOS App Store