BHUBANESWAR: The first phase of National Waterway-5 project from Pankapal near Paradip to Dhamra through Mangalagadi will be completed in next four years. As per preliminary estimates, an amount of `1,243 crore will be invested in the first phase of the project covering 201 kms of waterway from Pankapal to Dhamra.
In the second phase, the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) will take up implementation of 265 kms of waterway from Talcher to Dhamra.
Chief Secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi and IWAI Chairperson Nutan Guha Biswas jointly reviewed the progress of National Waterway-5 project at a high level meeting here.
There are 12 Railway, NHAI and PWD bridges on this stretch which would be redesigned and customised for the waterway. The work in this stretch will be carried forward in close cooperation between State and Central agencies. A special purpose vehicle (SPV) has been formed for the purpose involving the State Government, Paradip Port Trust (PPT) and Dhamra Port Company Ltd (DPCL).
Padhi asked the Collectors of the districts concerned to undertake survey of villages along the river banks and identify points that are generally used by people for crossing the river.
IWAI Chairperson assured that the Central agency would provide all assistance for setting up ghats on those points for carrying forward river dredging works.
Issues relating to dredging of the river course, dumping and transportation of dredged materials, repair and maintenance of embankment roads, protection of river banks, preparation of tender documents, redesigning and development of existing bridges on the waterway were discussed.
The proposed waterway consists of stretches on rivers like Bramhani, Kharsua, Kani, Mantei, Mahanadi delta and East Coast Canal spread over Odisha and West Bengal.
The IWAI had signed an MoU with the State Government, PPT and DPCL in June, 2014 for development of waterways in the State. It stretches over 588 kms of which 492 kms are in Odisha and the rest 91 kms in West Bengal. The waterway has been designed to provide connectivity among Paradip, Dhamra ports, Kalinganagar industrial cluster and Mahanadi coalfields.
