New Delhi, Dec 6 (NationPress) The progress on the development of the National Waterways is advancing swiftly, with more than 61% of the physical and financial benchmarks met in the ongoing work for National Waterway 1 (NW-1) along the Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly River System (Haldia - Allahabad), and over 71% of the work on NW-2, which encompasses the Brahmaputra River (Dhubri - Sadiya), has been accomplished, stated Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, during a Lok Sabha session on Friday.

Regarding the NW-1 Jal Marg Vikas Project, the key elements include the Multi-modal Terminal at Varanasi, Sahibganj, and Haldia, the construction of a New Navigational Lock at Farakka, the modernization of the old lock gate at Farakka, the Kalughat Intermodal Terminal, and Fairway Development, achieving a physical progress of 61.79% and a financial progress of 61.57%, as noted by the Minister in a written response.

In a similar vein, for the comprehensive development of NW-2, a notable 71.23% of both physical and financial goals have been reached.

The primary components of this project involve the construction of the Bogibeel cargo terminal, a terminal at Jogighopa, the development of an access road from Pandu Port Terminal to NH-27, and the establishment of a Ship Repair Facility at Pandu, Guwahati (Assam), in addition to fairway development, the Minister elaborated.

On the matter of the comprehensive development of NW-16 and the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol Route, 16.39% of the work has been finalized.

The key components include the construction of a terminal at Sonamura on the Gumti River, upgrading the Badarpur and Karimganj Terminals, building an office complex, and a residential area along with a boundary wall in Silchar, plus the procurement of an Amphibian Dredger and Survey Vessel and fairway development, as per the minister's statement.

In the ongoing development of an additional 23 National Waterways (comprising NW-3, NW-4, NW-5, and 16 new NWs) aimed at enhancing shipping & navigation, approximately 47.84% of the work has been accomplished.

The essential components involve Fairway Development, Terminal Development, and related Infrastructure, Hydrography Survey, charting & RIS, among others, Sonowal mentioned.

These include NW-3, which covers the West Coast Canal (Kottapuram - Kollam), Champakara, and Udyogmandal Canals; NW 4 on the Krishna River (Vijayawada – Muktyala); NW 5 from Dhamra-Paradip via Mangalagadi to Pankopal; and NW 8, which includes the Alappuzha-Changanassery Canal and NW 27, covering the Cumberjua River (Cortalim-Ferry to Sao Martias Vidhan Parisad), among others.