Varanasi, November 12: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to inaugurate the inter-model terminal, named Ramanagar, in Varanasi today. At the launch ceremony, Modi will receive 16 containers carrying 2,000 beverages sent by PepsiCo from the Haldia port in West Bengal. Here are the key facts to know about India's first inland commercial waterway route:

- This is the first of the three multi-modal terminals and two Inter-Modal Terminals being constructed on Ganga (National Waterways 1) with a cost of Rs 2.06 billion in the first phase.

- The objective is to promote inland waterways as a cheaper and more environment-friendly means of transport, especially for cargo movement. Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) is the project implementing agency for it.

- "The Jal Marg Vikas Project (JMVP) is being implemented on the Haldia-Varanasi stretch of National Waterway-1 (NW-1) with the technical assistance and investment support of the World Bank, at an estimated cost of Rs 53.69 billion ($800 million, of which $375 is IBRD loan) on a 50:50 sharing basis between Government of India and the World Bank," the statement said.

- The project entails construction of 3 multi-modal terminals (Varanasi, Sahibganj and Haldia); 2 intermodal terminals; 5 Roll On - Roll Off (Ro-Ro) terminal pairs; new navigation lock at Farakka; assured depth dredging; integrated vessel repair & maintenance facility, Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS), River Information System (RIS), river training & river conservancy works, it said.

- The Varanasi multi-modal terminal has a capacity of 1.6 million tonne per annum and the work on this has started on June 2016.

The inland waterway project on river Ganga will be entrusted to an operator on PPP model. The PPP operator, who will be charged of management and further development of the  the multi-modal terminal, is being selected through an international competitive bidding. The selection process will be completed by December 2018.

(With PIB & agency inputs)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 12, 2018 12:27 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).