SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure | SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals
Institutions: Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways
The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways announced that the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) has successfully handed over the Haldia Multi-Modal Terminal (MMT) to IRC Natural Resources, a private operator. This marks a major milestone in the Governmentβs strategy to enhance inland waterway infrastructure and promote multimodal logistics through the Public Private Partnership (PPP) model.
The Haldia MMT, located in West Bengal on National Waterway-1 (NW-1), was built by IWAI with financial and technical assistance from the World Bank and has a capacity of 3.08 million metric tonnes per annum (MMTPA). IRC Natural Resources secured the 15-year operation and maintenance (O&M) concession (10 years, extendable by 5) through an open bidding process, agreeing to pay a royalty of βΉ105.03 per metric tonne of cargo handled to IWAI. The operationalization of the terminal is expected to significantly boost cargo movement, offering a cost-effective, environmentally friendly, and faster alternative for transporting goods, particularly to the North Eastern states and Bangladesh.
The successful transfer of the Haldia MMT to a private operator under an Equip, Operate and Transfer (EOT) PPP model validates the governmentβs strategy of commercializing publicly funded infrastructure assets to ensure long-term operational efficiency and professional maintenance, aligning logistics infrastructure with sustainable transport goals.
What is the Jal Marg Vikas Project (JMVP)?β The Jal Marg Vikas Project (JMVP) is a World Bank-assisted project initiated by the Government of India to enhance the navigability and capacity of the 1,390 km stretch of National Waterway-1 (NW-1), which runs along the Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly river system. The primary goal of the JMVP is to promote Inland Water Transport (IWT) as a sustainable and efficient mode of logistics by undertaking key developmental works, including fairway maintenance, the construction of terminals (like Haldia MMT), modern navigational locks, and jetties.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders: What specific regulatory framework will IWAI implement to ensure the private operator maintains competitive freight tariffs and does not compromise the environmental goals of the JMVP?
Follow the full news here: https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2180221