Update on Jal Marg Vikas Project
9th December 2025
Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways has provided an update on Jal Marg Vikas Project (JMVP), highlighting that three multimodal terminals (MMTs) at Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh), Sahibganj (Jharkhand) & Haldia (West Bengal) and one inter-modal terminal (IMT) at Kalughat (Bihar) have been developed on National Waterway (NW)-1(River Ganga)
Two terminals namely MMT Haldia and IMT Kalughat have been handed over to private concessionaire for Operations & Management (O&M)
MMT Haldia has been awarded to concessionaire on Equip, Operate & Transfer (EOT) model of Public-Private Partnership (PPP). The concession period is for 10 years and as per contract the concessionaire has agreed to pay a royalty of Rs. 105.03 per metric ton on cargo handled at the terminal
Similarly, IMT Kalughat has been awarded to concessionaire for O&M for a period of 30 years on revenue sharing basis and as per the contract the concessionaire has agreed to share 38.3% revenue with the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), an autonomous organization under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways
Apart from development of terminals as mentioned above, Dredging Management Plan (DMP) has been developed to augment the capacity of NW-1 so that vessels with carrying capacity of 1500-2000 Metric Tons (MT) can ply safely
As per DMP, 45 m bottom width and depth of 3 m is to be maintained from Haldia to Barh, 2.5 m from Barh to Ghazipur and 2.2m from Ghazipur to Varanasi
Accordingly, NW-1 has been divided into 10 stretches for fairway development and maintenance, for which the works have been awarded for 3 years
Further, all the terminals on the NW-1 are connected by road with nearest National Highways. Railway connectivity for terminals at Varanasi, Sahibganj & Haldia is envisaged and Detailed Project Report of respective MMTs have been prepared by Indian Port Rail & Ropeway Corporation Ltd.
The cargo movement on NW-1 has increased by 220% from 5.05 Million Ton in 2014-15 to 16.38 Million Ton in 2024-25
Read:
IWAI milestones under Jal Marg Vikas Project (7th November 2025)