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Reviving Ganga as trade route: How inland waterways are reshaping the economy of Kashi
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Reviving Ganga as trade route: How inland waterways are reshaping the economy of Kashi

For centuries, river Ganga in Varanasi was not only a hub of spiritual activity but also a centre of commerce and movement in this country. When boats of grains and textiles navigated this river over a period of time, it became a journey of an economic benefit. Its nearly dead trajectory began to revive after 2014, when the Government of India under Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi placed a emphasis on inland waterways as part of a broader logistics and infrastructure reform. Varanasi located on the middle stretch of the Ganga has emerged as one of the most important centres of this revival. Ganga and Ancient Inland Waterway Trade Trade was largely reliant on the use of inland waters for the conduct of commerce within the land of the Indians, even more so on the Ganga valleys, connecting the metropolitan centers with urban-rural cores of politics within the eastern maritime regions. River corridors facilitated the transport of commodities such as grains, salt, textiles and metalware at cheaper costs, connecting cities such as Pataliputra with the Ganges valley port of Tamralipti, which was of immense significance for the conduct of maritime commerce and activity. It is stated by classical authors that similar river valleys were of prime importance as internal routes, with the support of the government, for the conduct of commerce. Policy Push and the Birth of Jal Marg Vikas India’s inland waterway development received a legislative boost with the National Waterways Act, 2016, which has expanded the number of national waterways from 5 to 111. To operationalise this potential, the government approved the Jal Marg Vikas Project (JMVP) in 2018 with an estimated cost of ₹5,369 crore. The implementing agency for this waterway project in India is the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) and comes under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways. It has been implemented with the help of the World Bank. The purpose was obvious build a waterway that was viable throughout the year with modern terminals and water navigation, by not altering the natural course of the waterway. What is NW-1? National Waterway-1 (NW-1) is India’s longest inland waterway, extending about 1,620 km along the Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly river system from Haldia to Prayagraj and passing through four states West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. It serves major urban and industrial centres including Kolkata, Patna, Varanasi and Prayagraj, along with their extensive hinterlands in the Ganga basin. This area is already congested in terms of the road as well as the rail network, which limits the expansion of capacity in these areas. Having developed the NW-1, there is a possibility of an alternate mode of transportation available, which has good capabilities for the carriage of large volumes of cargo. Inland water transportation is more energy-efficient compared to the use of the roads, thus making the NW-1 an important infrastructure for the strategic needs. In recent years, a demand has emerged for transporting coal, fly ash, food grains, cement, stone chips, fertilisers, edible oil and over-dimensional cargo through inland waterways. Several major shippers, including thermal power plants, cement and fertiliser companies, edible oil processors and the Food Corporation of India, have indicated readiness to use NW-1 if it supports vessels of 1,200–1,500 DWT. Achieving this requires assured navigational depth, particularly in the upper reaches and substantial investment in dredging, river training, modern navigation systems and terminal infrastructure. Terminals that are planned at locations such as Prayagraj, Varanasi, Ghazipur, Sahibganj, Katwa, etc., will help in the efficient transhipment. With the development of the entire route, NW-1 will offer a reliable 1,620 km barge fairway, thus reducing costs, highway congestion. Why Varanasi Was Central to the Plan Varanasi selection was driven by geography and economics rather than symbolism alone. The city lies almost midway on NW-1 and connects eastern Uttar Pradesh to Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal. Earlier, goods from this region relied heavily on congested highways or rail freight. Inland water transport, by contrast, offers a cost advantage, where government assessments indicate that transporting bulk cargo by waterways can be 30-40% cheaper than road transport and significantly more energy-efficient. Recognising this advantage, IWAI planned a major cargo handling facility at Ramnagar, across the river from the old city. The Varanasi Multi-Modal Terminal, inaugurated in November 2018, became India’s first such terminal on an inland waterway. Built at a cost of around ₹170 crore, the terminal has an annual handling capacity of about 1.26 million metric tonnes. It is equipped to handle bulk cargo such as fertilisers, foodgrains, cement and fly ash, and is directly linked to road and rail networks. From Symbolic Launch to Commercial Operations The first commercial cargoes moved in 2019, containers were transported from Varanasi to Haldia via inland waterways and thereby connects Varanasi to Eastern Ports on a relatively end-to-end basis. Although volumes carried via this mode are small in comparison to what happens on roads and rails, government figures report a consistent rise in cargo carried on NW-1 over successive years a clear indication of how industry is becoming increasingly confident of this mode. Building Airport is not an one day task, to ease the transport of people and goods in the NW-1 corridor, the government initiated river conservancy works as outlined in the JMVP plan. This involved dredging in shallow stretches of the river, the implementation of the river information system (RIS), night navigation works and the formation of community jetty works. Community jetty works were established in around 60 different positions in the NW-1 corridor and were aimed at promoting the movement of local people and not just of big operations. Economic Benefits for Varanasi The most immediate benefit for Varanasi has been improved logistics connectivity. Bulk commodities destined for or originating from eastern Uttar Pradesh now have an alternative route that reduces transport costs and dependence on highways. Local industries including handloom, agricultural produce traders and construction material suppliers stand to gain from lower freight expenses over the long term. Terminal operation, maintenance, vessels, dredging support services and administrative [...]

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This Is How You Value Tesla

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CME Group Inc. $CME Shares Sold by Sawgrass Asset Management LLC
themarketsdailyhace 17d

CME Group Inc. $CME Shares Sold by Sawgrass Asset Management LLC

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Republic Services, Inc. $RSG Shares Sold by Sawgrass Asset Management LLC
themarketsdailyhace 17d

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Sawgrass Asset Management LLC cut its stake in shares of Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG – Free Report) by 87.4% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,211 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 22,202 shares during the [...]

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