IWAI, Odisha Govt Ink Rs 12,200 Crore Pact to Revive Inland Waterways

06 Nov 2025 CW Team

An MoU to this effect was signed recently during the India Maritime Week 2025 in Mumbai. The collaboration aims to harness the state’s river network for sustainable freight movement and regional economic growth, with an estimated investment of Rs 122 billion.

The initiative will facilitate seamless transportation of coal and bulk cargo from the Talcher coalfields to Paradip and Dhamra ports through an integrated inland waterway system.

Announced in 2008, the 588 km-long NW-5 — connecting the Mahanadi, Brahmani Delta, Matai River and East Coast Canal to industrial hubs in Kalinganagar and Talcher — had faced delays due to viability issues. The revived plan will begin with a 332 km stretch linking Paradip, Dhamra and Talcher, comprising 237 km from Talcher to Mangalgadi and 95 km from Dhamra to Paradip.

Similarly, NW-64 spans 425 km along the Mahanadi from Paradip sea mouth to Sambalpur barrage. In the first phase, a 98 km section between Paradip Port and Cuttack barrage — including 75 km of the Luna River — will be developed.

The project will be implemented through a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), Inland Waterways Consortium of Odisha Ltd (IWCOL). IWAI will lead project preparation, obtain statutory clearances, and develop critical infrastructure such as terminals, barrages and navigation systems.

Under the agreement, the state government will provide encumbrance-free land, facilitate clearances and extend administrative support. MCL will ensure assured cargo movement and first-mile connectivity, while PPA will promote cargo handling and encourage a shift towards inland water transport.

The long-pending plan to develop Odisha’s inland waterways has gained momentum with the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) partnering with the state government, Paradip Port Authority (PPA) and Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL) for the operationalisation of National Waterway-5 (NW-5) and National Waterway-64 (NW-64).An MoU to this effect was signed recently during the India Maritime Week 2025 in Mumbai. The collaboration aims to harness the state’s river network for sustainable freight movement and regional economic growth, with an estimated investment of Rs 122 billion.The initiative will facilitate seamless transportation of coal and bulk cargo from the Talcher coalfields to Paradip and Dhamra ports through an integrated inland waterway system.Announced in 2008, the 588 km-long NW-5 — connecting the Mahanadi, Brahmani Delta, Matai River and East Coast Canal to industrial hubs in Kalinganagar and Talcher — had faced delays due to viability issues. The revived plan will begin with a 332 km stretch linking Paradip, Dhamra and Talcher, comprising 237 km from Talcher to Mangalgadi and 95 km from Dhamra to Paradip.Similarly, NW-64 spans 425 km along the Mahanadi from Paradip sea mouth to Sambalpur barrage. In the first phase, a 98 km section between Paradip Port and Cuttack barrage — including 75 km of the Luna River — will be developed.The project will be implemented through a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), Inland Waterways Consortium of Odisha Ltd (IWCOL). IWAI will lead project preparation, obtain statutory clearances, and develop critical infrastructure such as terminals, barrages and navigation systems.Under the agreement, the state government will provide encumbrance-free land, facilitate clearances and extend administrative support. MCL will ensure assured cargo movement and first-mile connectivity, while PPA will promote cargo handling and encourage a shift towards inland water transport.

Building Material

27 Nov 2025

Shalimar Paints Launches New Durable Luxury Interior and Exterior Range

Shalimar Paints has introduced three additions to its portfolio: Hero Insignia Luxury Interior Emulsion, Superlac PU Gloss Enamel and Hero Weather Guard 12 Luxury Exterior Emulsion. The new range is designed to combine finish, durability and environmental responsibility for modern residential spaces.Hero Insignia is a water-based luxury interior emulsion formulated with hybrid binder technology, providing a silky finish, stain resistance and protection from scuff marks. It offers more than 2,000 colour options, a 10-year promise and zero VOC levels, and can be applied on plaster, concrete and ..

Resources

27 Nov 2025

Trimble Promotes Harsh Pareek as VP Direct Sales for APAC

Trimble has promoted Harsh Pareek to Vice President, Direct Sales, Asia-Pacific for its Architecture, Engineering, Construction and Operations (AECO) division. Mr Pareek joined the company in 2017 and has more than 27 years of industry experience. He most recently served as Regional Sales Director for India for over eight years, during which he played a major role in accelerating Trimble’s growth and expanding its footprint across the Indian Subcontinent.Expressing his focus for the new role, Mr Pareek said that the AECO sector in Asia-Pacific is entering a phase driven by technology, sustai..

Infrastructure Energy

27 Nov 2025

Rajasthan Moves Mining Processes Fully Online From 15 December

The Rajasthan government will make all mining-related processes entirely paperless from 15 December, a senior official said. The Mines, Geology and Petroleum Department will halt all offline work across its mining modules, requiring officials to operate exclusively through online systems. Principal Secretary (Mines) T Ravikant said compliance monitoring will begin on 1 December while addressing an orientation workshop for officials from the Jaipur, Bharatpur, Ajmer, Kota and Bikaner zones. Ravikant explained that the department has developed two mobile applications and fourteen online modules..