The inland waterway from Varanasi to Haldia near Kolkata will be made operational this week, with Maruti shipping a car consignment for Kolkata aboard a vessel in Varanasi. Road Transport and Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari informed the Rajya Sabha that he himself will flag off two vessels from Varanasi on August 12. The second ship will carry construction material.

“Several multimodal terminals are being built on this 1620-km route from Varanasi to Kolkata. The one in Varanasi has already been completed. Others are being built in Sahibganj, Kalughat, Ghazipur and Haldia… Development of inland waterways is a big priority for our government. ”

“We hope that by the year 2018, we are able to ensure that at least seven per cent of India’s goods traffic is moved by the waterways. Currently, only 3.6 per cent of goods traffic is carried on rivers. In China this is 47 per cent,” Gadkari said in response to a question in the Upper House.

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