Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port plans riverine movement of cargo to and from Nepal

Kolkata, April 14 (SocialNews.XYZ) Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port (SMP), Kolkata is working on a plan to send Nepal-bound cargo up the River Ganges to Sahibganj from where road transport can be used till Biratnagar, Nepal. This is part of the effort to make greater use of inland waterways to move cargo in a cost effective and eco-friendly manner.

SMPK participated in the recently-concluded Waterways Conclave at Dibrugarh, Assam, where Sarbananda Sonowal, minister of ports, shipping & waterways and AYUSH, inaugurated its pavilion. Among those present was Vinit Kumar, chairman, SMPK.

The Conclave that focussed on regional connectivity through waterways, witnessed wide participation from the Governments of India, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh as well as industry representatives, stakeholders and other logistics service providers.

SMP, Kolkata (previously called Kolkata Port Trust) may suffer from draft constraints but is ideally located to make full use of National Waterways I and II and the Sea. Its port facilities at Kolkata and Haldia are also extremely well connected by road and rail. SMP, Kolkata has already begun using the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol Route to transport cargo to and from the northeastern states of India. The Port envisages to provide integrated connectivity under the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan.

Speaking to this journalist, Kumar highlighted the efforts being made to connect Nepal to the inland waterways network. "At first, we plan to move the cargo in barges up the River Ganges till Sahibganj that is close to Biratnagar. Later, this movement will be till Kalughat in the Saran district of Bihar. An integrated inland waterways terminal is coming up at Kalughat. This location is close to Birgunj. In Phase-II, once River Gandak is made navigable, Nepal cargo can move directly to the border using the riverine route," the Port chairman said.

Nepal, a landlocked nation, moves most of its Impex cargo through the ports of Kolkata and Haldia. Much of this cargo moves to and from Biratnagar and Birgunj by rail. In fact, SMP, Kolkata also caters to states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand that are well connected by waterways. In fact, coal for power plants at Kahalgaon and Barh in Bihar are moved in barges up the River Ganges. Sometimes, SMP, Kolkata, transloads this coal from huge vessels directly on to barges at the Sagar anchorage from where they begin their voyage to the power plants.

Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has laid a lot of stress on the use of inland waterways for cargo movement to avoid congestion and reduce costs involved in road and rail travel. Steps are being taken to make waterways navigable.

In fact, India is co funding dredging of a stretch of waterway in Bangladesh to allow quicker movement of cargo to the northeastern states. Use of the Chattogram port in Bangladesh is also being made. SMP, Kolkata, will also play a key role once Kaladan (Sittwe) Project in Myanmar is completed.

Source: IANS