The construction of National Waterway-5 on the Mahanadi is in its first and second phases, the transport minister Tukuni Sahu informed the state assembly on Thursday. The first phase’s development work has begun, while the second phase’s preparatory work is already under way.
Two national waterways (NW) that use the river Mahanadi have been announced, according to the National Waterways Act, Sahu stated. NW-5 and NW-64 are these.
Jokadia and Pankapal (Kalinganagar) are linked to Dhamra and Paradip by way of Mangalgadi in the first 201 km of the NW-5. The 131-km second phase links Jokadia/Pankapal with the abundant coal-producing Talcher region. whereas NW-64 will begin at Sambalpur and travel to Paradip.
The minister said that the Inland Waterways Authority of India has requested expressions of interest (EOI) for the management and development of a segment of the two national waterways.
The NW-5 was supposed to be finished by 2017, but that goal was unattainable. This significant project connects the coal mines in Talcher and the industrial sector of Kalinganagar with the ports of Paradip and Dhamra.
She claimed that the state does not currently have any operational national waterways.
The minister further informed the state parliament that Gopalpur in the Ganjam district and Dhamra in the Bhadrak district are the only two minor seaports in the state that are operational. Two small seaports were being built at Astaranga and Subarnarekha mouth, she noted.
The state has taken the appropriate actions for the establishment of minor seaports in the Bichitrapur, Bahabalpur, Chandipur, and Inchudi districts in Balasore, the Jatadhar mouth in Bhadrak, Astaranga and Baliharachandi districts in Puri, and the Palur and Bahuda river mouths in Ganjam districts.
At the Kendrapada district’s Mahakalpada village, which is located on the bank of the Mahanadi River, a riverine port will also be built. Public-private partnership (PPP) development projects are being undertaken by the state government for the small ports. For the construction of the ports, the state is leasing land.
Prasanta Patnaik