WB fires Rs.2,421-cr in waterways project

Adding to the waterway infrastructure of the country, the World Bank has recently approved a loan of $ 375 million (Rs.2,421 crore) for the ambitious inland waterways project between Haldia in West Bengal and Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. The funds would also help in capacity addition of National Waterway-1 (River Ganga) under the Jal Marg Vikas Project (JMVP). The loan amount is about 45% of the estimated project cost of Rs.5,369 crore. The 1,390 km waterway project of the Shipping ministry would enable commercial navigation of vessels with capacity of 1,500-2,000 deadweight tonnage (DWT) and will crisscross Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal, thereby, serving major cities of Allahabad, Varanasi, Ghazipur, Bhagalpur, Patna, Howrah, and Haldia.