Bhubaneswar, April 16: Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways (MoPSW) has accorded administrative approval for sanction of Rs 50.30 crore for developing all-weather ROPAX (Roll-on/Roll-off Passenger)Jetty and allied infrastructure connecting Kaninali in Bhadrak district &Talachua in Kendrapara district, Odisha under the Sagarmala initiative. The Government of Odisha will fund another 50% cost of the project.

The total capital cost of the project is Rs 110.60 crore which includes construction of RO-PAX Jetty at Kaninali and Talachua, utility infrastructures such as parking area development, navigational aids and dredging.

This project will reduce travel time for passengers from 6 hours by road to 1 hour by waterway. The development of the existing ghat with all-weather ROPAX jetties is being carried out with intent of accommodating boats, launches and other vessels as well as to ply vessel having capacity to carry 10 light Motor vehicles, 20 Motorbikes along with 60 passengers at a time, simultaneously ensuring safety of all passengers and vehicles.The project will facilitate indirect employment opportunities to locals around Dhamra river and reduce road distance of ~200 km from Talachua to Dhamra.                            

Kaninali in Bhadrak district and Talachua in Kendrapada district, are located on the northern and southern banks of River Dhamra respectively. The people of Talachua and nearby villages largely depend upon Dhamra port for their livelihood, which is approximately 4 kms from Kaninali Ghat.

Since there is no connectivity through roads, the local population depends upon passenger ferries at ghats of Kaninali and Talachua to cross the river (a stretch of 7 Km). Currently, Number of passenger vehicles move through private boats without safety and passengers face difficulty in embarking and disembarking from launches on an everyday basis. This project will enhance the safety of passengers and vehicles with state-of-the-art utility infrastructure. The connectivity will increase the commercial and business activities and uplift the socio-economic status of the surrounding region.