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 & Tourbo (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. It 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 Sahibganj terminal is the second out of the three multi-modal terminals planned under the Ganga Jal Marg Vikas project to be awarded for construction in a record time. The third terminal will be constructed at Haldia in West Bengal. 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 4,200 crore. 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. The project includes development of fairway, multi-modal terminals at Varanasi, Haldia, and Sahibganj, strengthening of river navigation system, conservancy works, modern river information system (RIS), digital global positioning system (DGPS), night navigation facilities, modern methods of channel marking, construction of a new state of the art navigational lock at Farakka.