The multi-modal terminal at Sahibganj in Jharkhand is soon to become a reality. The Inland Waterways Authority of India has recently awarded the contract for construction of the terminal to Larson & Turbo (L&T). With the targeted completion of Phase -1 in 2019, the state of the art terminal will have a cargo handling capacity of 2.28 MMTPA.
Given Jharkhand’s coal reserves of nearly 80 billion tonnes, the location of the multi modal terminal at Sahibganj is especially significant. It will play an important role in transportation of domestic coal from the local mines to intended thermal power plants owing to its good railway connectivity. Besides coal, stone-chips are also expected to be transported through the terminal.
The multi modal terminal will have facilities including berthing space for two vessels, stockyard for storing, belt conveyor system with fixed hoppers, barge loader, shore protection works, roads, ramps and parking area, and terminal buildings. The Government is developing National Waterway-1 under the Jal Marg Vikas Project, with technical and financial assistance of the World Bank at an estimated cost of Rs 4,200Cr. The project would enable commercial navigation of vessels with capacity of 1500-2,000 tons. Phase-I of the project covers the Haldia-Varanasi stretch.