World Bank inks $105-mn water transport infra pact

The Centre, West Bengal government and World Bank have signed a $105-million pact for a project to improve the inland water transport infrastructure on the outskirts of Kolkata. The West Bengal inland water transport, logistics and spatial development project will facilitate passenger and freight movement across the Hooghly river, undertake spatial planning to improve accessibility in the Kolkata Metropolitan Area (KMA), enhance the quality of life, and contribute to the growth of the state's logistics sector. Inland waterways is emerging as a cost-effective and environment-friendly option for passenger and freight movement. Additional secretary, ministry of finance, C S Mohapatra, informed that the project will help improve the river transport infrastructure in West Bengal and help in the economic development of the state by connecting the hinterland with markets and job centres in KMA. The agreement was signed by Mohapatra on behalf of the Government of India; Rajdeep Dutta, deputy resident commissioner on behalf of the state government, and Junaid Ahmad, country director, India, on behalf of the World Bank. The project will cover five most populous districts of southern Bengal, including its urban agglomeration - the Kolkata Metropolitan Area (KMA) where around 30 million people or one-third of West Bengal's population live.