India has started a new project in a way that ships can be brought up to the Nepal border via the Gandak river.
Union Shipping and Water Resources Minister of India Nitin Gadkari on Monday laid foundation stone at Bagaha, Bihar for 300-kilometer waterway from the Gandak river's confluence with Ganges at Hajipur in Bihar till Trivenighat at the Bhaisalotan barrage.
The Indian Shipping Ministry states that completion of this IRs 130 million waterway will allow ships to ferry goods from the Haldia Port till the Nepal border. Four terminals will be built in the 300-kilometer stretch to bring ships that can carry containers weighing up to 1,000 tons.
Nepali officials say the plan to bring ships to Nepal will bear fruit soon now that India has started the project. "The plan to bring ships to Nepal will now gather pace. We will now start study to bring ships from Bagaha to Dasdhunga," coordinator of the committee formed for study of waterways Joint Secretary Madhav Belbase told Setopati. "We will also make field visits of different places during the meeting with the Indian side from March 3-9."
He revealed that a team of Indian technicians will arrive in Kathmandu for additional study and discussion about bringing ships in the Koshi and Gandaki rivers. "Officials from the two countries will discuss about how to bring the ships to Nepal through the Gandak barrage," he added.
He stated that study will now be conducted to build Nepali terminal in the area around Susta and added that the work will be expedited once the Nepal Ship Office will start to function.
Prime Minister (PM) KP Sharma will inaugurate the Nepal Ship Office at Ekantakuna of Lalitpur on Thursday, according to Secretary at the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport Madhusudan Adhikari. "A joint secretary will be the registrar at the office. Joint secretary has not been deployed yet and other staffers will start to work for now," Adhikari said.
The joint statement issued during the India visit of Prime Minister (PM) KP Sharma Oli last April mentioned providing access to the sea for Nepal.
"Taking cognizance of their geographies and noting the development of inland waterways in both countries, the two Prime Ministers took the landmark decision to develop the inland waterways for the movement of cargo, within the framework of trade and transit arrangements, providing additional access to sea for Nepal," the joint statement on inland waterways stated.
The two PMs directed the respective officials to do homework to add even waterways in the trade and transit agreement between the two countries.
India, that has the ambitious plan of expanding waterways across India, has agreed to provide the access to that network for Nepal.
The government at the end of May 2018 had formed a committee under Joint Secretary at the Water and Energy Commission Madhav Belbase to study feasibility of transportation of goods using waterways of India. The committee includes representatives from energy and irrigation, physical infrastructure and transport, industry, commerce and supplies, and foreign ministries.
Nepal currently uses the Haldia Port of Kolkata for trade with the third countries. Koshi river meets the Haldia-Banaras waterway at Katihar of Bihar which is over 100 kilometers down the Nepali border. Similarly, Narayani river meets the Ganges near Patna of Bihar.
