In a significant move to strengthen Inland Water Transport (IWT) activities on National Waterway-1 (NW-1) along the River Ganga, the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) under the Union Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways has upgraded its Varanasi sub-office to a full-fledged Regional Office on January 23, 2025. This decision aims to streamline projects and operations across Uttar Pradesh, making it IWAI’s sixth regional office alongside those in Guwahati, Patna, Kochi, Bhubaneswar, and Kolkata.
The Varanasi office, along with its sub-office in Prayagraj, will oversee the 487-kilometre stretch from Majhua to the Varanasi Multi-Modal Terminal (MMT) and further up to Prayagraj. It will also manage projects on other national waterways in the state, including rivers such as Betwa, Chambal, Gomti, Tons, Varuna, and parts of Gandak, Ghaghra, Karamnasa, and Yamuna.
A key priority for the new office will be the implementation of the World Bank-supported Jal Marg Vikas Project (JMVP), which focuses on capacity augmentation of River Ganga through measures like bandalling, maintenance dredging, and the operation of existing multi-modal terminals at Varanasi, Sahibganj, and Haldia. Additional facilities include an inter-modal terminal at Kalughat and a navigational lock at Farakka. The construction of 60 community jetties in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal under JMVP is also underway to support local communities, small-scale farmers, and artisans.
The new regional office will coordinate with the State IWT Authority to ensure the effective development of Uttar Pradesh’s 10 national waterways, leveraging the potential of 30 rivers in the state. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, IWAI is advancing projects across India, including NW-2, NW-3, and NW-16, with developments like dredging contracts, navigational aids, and IWT terminals. This marks a concerted effort to position waterways as a vital engine of economic growth nationwide.
