PM Modi dedicates country’s first multimodal terminal at Varanasi

This is the first of the four multi modal terminals being constructed on NW-I (River Ganga) as part of the World Bank aided Jal Marg Vikas project of the Inland Waterways Authority of India. 

The other three terminals are under construction at Sahibganj, Haldia and Gazipur. The project would enable commercial navigation of vessels with capacity of 1500-2,000 DWT on river Ganga. 

The PM also received the country’s first container consignment to be sent on an inland waterways vessel. This consignment containing cargo of the food and beverage company Pepsico set sail from Kolkata in the last week of October.

Dedicating the inland waterways multi modal terminal on river Ganga to the nation he said “the project will reconnect us to our glorious past, and link Eastern Uttar Pradesh to the North Eastern parts of the country.”

Addressing a large and enthusiastic gathering on the occasion, the prime minister said the day is historic for Kashi, for Poorvanchal, for Eastern India, and for the whole of India. He said that along with Varanasi, the entire country is now witness to how the vision of Next Gen Infrastructure can transform the means of transport. This, he said, could have been completed decades ago.  

Referring to the arrival of the first inland container vessel in Varanasi, the prime minister said that Eastern Uttar Pradesh is now connected with the Bay of Bengal, through the inland shipping route.

The prime minister said the inland waterway would save time and money, reduce congestion on roads, reduce the cost of fuel, and reduce vehicular pollution.

The prime minister dedicated to the nation, two important national highways in Varanasi, having a total length of 34 kilometres and constructed at a cost of Rs1571.95 crore. The 16.55 km Varanasi Ring Road Phase-I has been completed at a cost of Rs759.36 crore, while the work of four-laning and construction of 17.25 km Babatput-Varanasi road on NH-56 has cost Rs812.59 crore. The Babatpur Airport highway links Varanasi to the airport and goes on to Jaunpur, Sultanpur and Lucknow. With a flyover at Harhua and an ROB at Tarna, the road will reduce the travel time from Varanasi to the airport. This will prove a big relief to the people of Varanasi and to tourists and other visitors to the city.

He said the road connecting Babatpur Airport with Varanasi was becoming an attraction for tourists, besides facilitating travel.

The prime minister said that modern infrastructure has been built at a rapid pace in the last four years. He said that airports in remote areas, rail connectivity in parts of the North East, rural roads and highways have become a part of the union government's identity.

He said projects worth Rs23,000 crore have been approved under Namaami Gange so far, adding that almost all villages along the banks of the River Ganga have now become open defecation free. He said these projects are part of the government's commitment to cleaning the River Ganga.

Speaking on the occasion, union minister for water resources, river development and Ganga rejuvenation, road transport and highways and shipping Nitin Gadkari said that work is on for ensuring enough draught in River Ganga from its origin in Gangotri to its last point in Gangasagar in West Bengal. He said, during the forthcoming Kumbh, ferries will run between Varanasi and Prayagraj. 

Gadkari said as many as 268 water cleaning projects worth a thousand crore rupees are being undertaken in the country. In a recent examination of water quality at 80 places on Ganga, water was found pure at 55 sites. He expressed the hope that these efforts will bear fruit and by coming March, 70 to 80 per cent Ganga will become pure.

Prime Minister Modi also dedicated to the nation three sewage infrastructure projects costing Rs425.41 crore for the city of Varanasi and laid the foundation stone for another project. The first is a 140 MLD sewage treatment plant (STP) at Dinapur, built at a cost of Rs235.53 crore under the build-operate-maintain mode. The second project includes three sewage pumping stations at Chaukaghat (140 MLD), Phulwaria (7.6 MLD) and Saraiya (3.7 MLD). The total cost for the three pumping stations was Rs34.01. The third project is the construction of 28 km long relieving trunk sewer, rising mains and interceptor sewers along Varuna and Assi at a cost of Rs155.87 crore.

PM laid the foundation stone for sewerage management scheme for Ramnagar. This will include a 10 MLD STP and intercepting and diverting 4 drains. The sewerage projects will result in increasing the sewage treatment capacity in the city from 102 MLD to 242 MLD. The long term O&M provision will ensure that the STP is not only created but is being operated and maintained properly. These projects will result in reducing the pollution of the river Ganga.

These projects along with 2 other ongoing projects of 120 MLD at Goitha and 50 MLD STP at Ramana will take the sewage treatment capacity in the city to 412 MLD, which will be adequate for the sewage treatment requirements till year 2035.