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Economics › Infrastructure Sector

IWAI sets up new Regional Office at Varanasi

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Why in the News?

The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), under the Union Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways, upgraded its sub-office in Varanasi to a full-fledged Regional Office. This move aims to strengthen the implementation of Inland Water Transport (IWT) activities in National Waterway-1 (NW-1), covering the Ganga River, and other waterways in Uttar Pradesh.

IWAI’s Regional Expansion:

  • Varanasi becomes IWAI’s 6th regional office, joining those in Guwahati, Patna, Kochi, Bhubaneswar, and Kolkata.
  • Capacity augmentation is also underway for NW-2 (Brahmaputra River), NW-3 (West Coast Canal), and NW-16 (Barak River).

Important Projects by IWAI: 

  • Jal Marg Vikas Project (JMVP): A World Bank-supported initiative aimed at capacity augmentation of NW-1 through:
  • River conservancy works like bandalling and maintenance dredging.
  • Construction of key infrastructure, including:
    • Multi-Modal Terminals (MMTs): Varanasi, Sahibganj, and Haldia.
    • Inter-Modal Terminal: Kalughat.
    • Navigational Lock: Farakka, West Bengal.
  • Development of 60 community jetties across Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal to support local communities like farmers, artisans, and fishermen.

About Inland Waterways Authority of India

  • Established in 1986 under the Inland Waterways Authority of India Act, 1985.
  • Headquarters: Noida, Uttar Pradesh.
  • Objective: To reduce the underutilization of India’s 14,500 kilometers of navigable waterways, which account for just 2% of the transportation mix.
  • Structural Mandate:
    • Responsible for regulating and developing inland waterways for shipping and navigation.
    • Develops and maintains Inland Water Transport (IWT) infrastructure on national waterways with grants from the Ministry of Shipping.
    • Ensures safe and efficient navigation to integrate waterways into the national transport system.
  • Powers and Functions:
    • Planning and Execution: Implements and maintains navigation and shipping infrastructure projects.
    • National Waterways Management: Oversees 111 national waterways under the National Waterways Act, 2016.
    • Infrastructure Development: Focuses on dredging, terminal construction, and maintaining year-round navigability for vessels.

PYQ:

[2016] Enumerate the problems and prospects of inland water transport in India.

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