The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways is making continuous efforts to develop and modernize national waterways to promote inland water transport as a more cost-effective and environment-friendly mode of transport. Minister of State for Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Shri Shantanu Thakur today inaugurated the dredging work on National Waterway 44 (Ichamati River) in West Bengal.
On this occasion, he said, 'Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi had once said that 'inland waterways are powering the development of India's economy.' Now, under his leadership, the Department of Ports, Shipping and Waterways is working for the first time towards the development of National Waterways on a scale that had never been done before. As per Government Order, dredging work is being taken up for 23.38 km from Tentulia to Kalaanchi to achieve navigation depth of 1.5 m (1.2 m + 0.3 m tolerance) and to increase tidal effect in the river. A budget of ₹ 3.77 crore has been sanctioned to meet the dredging and other associated expenses till March 2023 and as per further requirement, a new plan for 2023-24 will be sanctioned and after the outcome of this initial dredging, high capacity dredging will be undertaken. Dredgers will be deployed.