BHUBANESWAR: The first phase of National Waterway-5 (NW-5), linking Dhamara-Paradip-Kalinga Nagar through inland waterway route, will be operational in three years, Industries Minister Debi Prasad Mishra said on Friday.
First phase of NW-5 through a distance of 267 km is targeted to be completed by 2017. The second phase will expand the waterway route connecting coal belt of Talcher with Dhamara on river Brahmani covering a distance of 265 km, including the Kharsua and Dhamara river systems.
Of 532 kms of NW-5 going through Odisha, the waterway will stretch from Mangalgadi to Paradip, running over the Mahanadi delta, Geonkhali to Charbatia over the East Coast Canal and Charbatia to Dhamara stretch, over river Matai.
The Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to expedite construction of rail corridors in Angul-Talcher coal belt, Basundhara coal belt in Jharsuguda-Sundargarh and Banspani-Nayagarh iron-ore belts will be formed soon, added the Minister, while addressing the ‘Logistics Millennium-2014’ conference organised by Confederation of Indian Industries (CII).
Inaugurating the event, Governor SC Jamir emphasised that it was high time to adopt global best practices and pursue an energy efficient strategy for freight management which minimises investment and maximises cost efficiency for the users.
The CEO of Dhamara Port Company Limited (DPCL), Santosh Mohapatra, said construction cost of ports in the eastern sector is expensive compared to western India due to tidal disadvantage. He urged the State Government to foster Railway network in Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode and accelerate special investment zones around the ports here.
“Odisha is the only State in the country which has a 480 km coastline besides its rich mineral resources,” said Ansuman Das, Chairman of CII, Odisha Chapter and CMD, Nalco.
Das asserted on exploiting the inland waterways of the State which augment accessibility, besides being eco-friendly. He regretted, though there is 14,500 km of navigable inland waterways network in the country, only one per cent of it is being utilised. Two technical sessions discussing prospects and challenges for logistics and infrastructure in the State were discussed after the inaugural ceremony.