PM Narendra Modi has dedicated India’s second riverine Multi Modal Terminal (MMT) built at Sahibganj in Jharkhand on September 12. The Prime Minister has inaugurated a state-of-the-art terminal through a two-way digital communication system at an event in Ranchi, Jharkhand. The Multi Modal Terminal took two years to complete, constructed on the river Ganga under Jal Marg Vikas Project (JMVP) at a cost of Rs 290 crores.

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Advantages of the MMT

Through the route of the waterway, the Multi Modal Terminal will open up industries of Jharkhand and Bihar to the global market. It is specifically going to benefit the local mines in the Rajmahal area as coal will be easily transported to the thermal power plants located along National Waterways-1. Other than that, stone chips, fertilizers, cement, and sugar are also expected to be transported through the terminal. The MMT will also provide Indo-Nepal cargo connectivity, according to a statement issued by the government.

The convergence of Road-Rail-River Transport at Sahibganj through the new terminal will connect the area to Kolkata, Haldia and further to the Bay of Bengal. Also, Sahibganj will get connected to North-East States through Bangladesh by the river-sea route.

The Multi Modal Terminal will also help to create employment in the region and is envisaged to directly employ 600 people and indirectly employ about 3000 people.

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Capacity of the terminal

The present capacity of the terminal is at 30 lakh tonnes per annum. However, in the Phase II plan, under the Public-Private Partnership model, the capacity is envisaged to grow to 54.8 lakh tonnes per annum after an investment of Rs 376 crores. The development in Phase II will be entirely made by the private concessionaire. Further, a freight village is also proposed on 335 acres of land, bordering the terminal.

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Jal Marg Vikas Project

The JMVP is aimed to develop the stretch of River Ganga between Varanasi to Haldia for navigation of large vessels by maintaining a drought of 2-3 metres in this stretch of the river and setting up other systems required for safe navigation. This is the second of the three Multi-Modal Terminals being constructed on river Ganga under JMVP. Earlier, in November 2018 the Prime Minister had inaugurated the MMT at Varanasi.

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