Bhubaneswar, Aug 23: The Centre is working on an inland waterway project to move goods from four key industrial clusters to the ports of Paradip and Dhamra through the Brahmani river in Odisha.
The proposed Rs 12,000-crore inland waterway project will be developed on the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) model, a senior government official said.
"A special purpose vehicle (SPV) will be formed between the Coal India Limited (CIL), the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), Paradip Port and the Odisha government to develop the infrastructure required to operationalise the National Waterway 5 (NW5)," the official said.
The Odisha government and respective company boards have taken an in-principle approval to form the SPV.
The project will need funding from the central government due to its capital-intensive nature.
The 588 km long National Waterway 5 will pass 371 km through river and 217 km through canal. Coal will be transported from Talcher to Paradip and Dhamara ports and five barrages will be constructed between Talcher and Jokadia in Jajpur district for water flow in the river though out the year. The barrages will be constructed at every 26 km distance.
Inland water transport is the "most economical mode of transportation", especially because it can carry bulk cargo.
