Calcutta, Aug. 16: The proposed inland waterways terminal at Haldia has received a strong response from the private sector, with six of India's top infrastructure companies, including L&T and Reliance Infra, bidding for the Rs 465-crore contract. The tender will be opened by the end of this month and the contract will be awarded by September.
The selected bidder has to build the terminal within two-and-half years, Amitabh Verma, chairman of the Inland Waterways Authority of India, said.
Besides Reliance and L&T, Shapoorji Pallonji group company Afcons, Gammon India, Simplex and Thai company ITD Cementation are the four players who are vying for the contract, which will involve building multiple jetties and handling equipment.
The terminal is part of the ambitious Jal Marg Vikas project that includes developing National Waterway-1 with an assistance from the World Bank at an estimated cost of Rs 4,200 crore.
In the first phase, the Centre is looking to develop the stretch between the Varanasi and Haldia terminals, with Sahibganj in Jharkhand between them.
The Haldia Dock Complex has provided 61 acres for the project. Moreover, a navigation lock would be built at the Farakka barrage to facilitate the movement of cargo for Rs 380 crore.
"The World Bank will provide soft loans for half of the project cost. The rest will come from budgetary support," vice-chairman and project director Pravir Pandey said. He was in Calcutta to interact with the stakeholders in the segment.
Around five to six dedicated berths are expected to be built at Haldia for cargos such as edible oil, fly ash and cement. The government expects Bangladesh cargo to move through this terminal as well.
This year 7.34-million-tonne (mt) cargo is expected to move compared with 5.6mt last fiscal. Once the initial infrastructure is ready, 20mt cargo is expected to move through this route. The Centre has taken several initiatives to promote this sector, including dredging the Ganges, manufacturing specially-designed barges for low draught movement, night navigation and creating more terminals and jetties.
