About the project
Background
Development of inland waterways for transport & logistics has been a priority of the Government of India over the last decade. Several policy, regulatory and planning reforms have been taken up to ensure efficient development and operations of the sector, including encouraging private sector participation on the waterways, which can further increase modal share of the waterways in the logistics & transport sector.
The Government of West Bengal (GoWB) also identifies inland waterways as one of the priority sectors for logistics growth and promotion of multi-modal transport in the state.
The West Bengal Inland Water Transport Logistics and Spatial Development Project was initiated in early 2019 to modernize the State’s inland waterways and provide efficient and effective riverine transport services for freight and passengers, by supporting infrastructure development and building institutional capacity. The geographical boundaries of the Project include the six most populous districts of Southern West Bengal comprising Howrah, Hooghly, East Midnapur, South and North 24 Parganas and Kolkata.
In January 2021, the project was signed by the Government of West Bengal and the World Bank approving the USD 105 million World Bank funding.
Objectives
The project’s development objectives are:
- improve the efficiency and safety of passenger and freight movement across the Hooghly River
- establish a spatial planning framework to enhance accessibility within Kolkata Metropolitan Area
The achievement of the project’s objectives will be measured by the six indicators given below:
- Improve the efficiency and safety of passenger and freight movement across the Hooghly River
- Increased passenger volume on waterway (disaggregated by gender)Time reduction in passenger movement across the river for three representative routes, Percentage of reduction in travel distance for truck movement across the river for one representative route
- Increased number of trucks on waterway on a selected route
- Establish a spatial planning framework to enhance accessibility within Kolkata Metropolitan Area
- Safety Management System established and implemented
- Spatial and mobility plans developed and approved by the Minister in Charge