India is drawing up a project worth $1.46 billion to develop an inland water transport corridor in the east of the country, primarily for use of finished products like steel, sponge iron, aluminum and fertilizer, a government official said on Thursday, July 20.
The project is being spearheaded by state-run agencies like Coal India Limited (CIL), Paradip Port Authority, which runs the Paradip Port on Odisha’s east coast, and Inland Waterways Authority of India.
The inland waterway corridor connecting two ports in Odisha through the Brahmani River would have the capacity to transport 12-15 million mt of freight, the official said.
The project would enable decongestion along a network of the national transporter, Indian Railways (IR), which has acted as the primary source of transportation for industries located in the east comprising steel mills, iron ore and manganese mines, and the coal industry, and accounts for around 75 percent of total cargo traffic in the region.
Once completed, private and government user industries would be invited to open their own cargo terminals along the waterway corridor, the official said.