First inland cargo terminal opens on Ganga in Varanasi

Tribune News Service
Lucknow, November 12

Dedicating the first 1,383-km multi-modal waterway terminal on the Ganga connecting Varanasi to Haldia for large vessels, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today declared that 

he wanted his Lok Sabha constituency to emerge as the “sangam” of culture, nature and adventure.

Speaking at a public meeting at Wajidpur village in Varanasi, the PM said, “We have to continue with the development process and also preserve culture and heritage of this ancient city.”

During his 15th visit to Varanasi since he became an MP from here, Modi gifted projects worth Rs 2,413 crore to his constituency. Beginning and ending his 35-minute address with chants of “Har Har Mahadev”, he greeted people on the occasion of “Chhath” in Bhojpuri.

Asking the “Modi-Modi” chanting crowds to preserve their energy for the Lok Sabha elections, the PM said, “Our focus has always been on development and not on vote bank politics. The season of festivity has come to an end and I am fortunate that I visited Baba Kedarnath on Diwali and today I offered prayers to Baba Vishwanath.”

Describing it as a historic day for the people of Varanasi, he slammed his political opponents saying the city should have got these projects decades ago.

PM Modi said when he announced his commitment to the waterway project four years ago, his opponents ridiculed him. “The first cargo vessel from Kolkata arriving recently at the inland water terminal provided an appropriate answer to the critics,” he said.

The project was unveiled as PM Modi received India’s first container vessel that sailed from Kolkata on the inland waterway on October 30, carrying cargo belonging to food and beverage giant PepsiCo India.

For the first time since Independence, the river network was being used for commerce at such a scale. It would benefit UP, Bihar Jharkhand and West Bengal, he added. He said the Jal Marg Vikas project was aimed at promoting inland waterways as a cheap and environment-friendly means of transportation.

Ring road, sewage schemes on modi’s gift list

• The 16.55-km Varanasi Ring Road Phase-I built at a cost of Rs 759.36 crore
• Four-laning and construction of 17.25-km Babatput-Varanasi road on NH-56, costing Rs 812.59 crore
• Two sewage infrastructure projects worth Rs 425.41 cr in Varanasi and laying of foundation stone for Rs 72.91-crore project for Ramnagar