Jaipur: Rajasthan is now preparing to connect directly with sea connectivity. The Jalore district of the state will be directly connected to the Arabian Sea via the Gulf of Kutch. For this, an inland port (waterway) will be built in Jalore. The efforts that have been going on for the last decade and a half have now gained momentum. A waterway of about 262 kilometers will be built from Kandla Port to Jalore, for which more than Rs 10,000 crore is proposed to be spent on dredging.
The state will become a logistics powerhouse and will have industry, logistics, employment, and waterway connectivity. According to the pre-feasibility report, more than 50,000 employment opportunities will be available in Rajasthan, Gujarat, and surrounding areas. However, a study is currently being conducted on the routes to build the waterway up to Jalore. This includes the Bhávatara-Navlakhi route to Kandla Creek (approximately 262 km). The entire plan will become clear only after the detailed project report is finalised.
-Major trading activities such as textiles, stone, agricultural produce, oilseeds, guar, pulses, and millets take place in the Luni-Jawai basin and Jalore-Barmer region. Additionally, a refinery project is also nearby.
-With a large portion of cargo moving via waterways, the burden on roads and railways will be reduced.
-Cargo carrying capacity will increase manifold. The movement of heavy and oversized goods will become easier, opening up avenues for establishing new industries.
-Warehousing, port services, cold storage, and industrial clusters will be developed.
An MoU was signed in Mumbai between the Rajasthan River Basin and Water Resources Planning Authority and the Inland Waterways Authority of India regarding the construction of the inland port. This is a significant step towards developing an inland port in Jalore after the Jawai-Luni-Rann of Kutch river system was declared National Waterway-48. The proposed width of the waterway is 45 meters and the depth is 8 meters. Rajasthan will have about 14 km of this stretch. IIT Madras is conducting its survey.
The MoU has been signed and the DPR is in the final stage. Jalore will be connected to Kutch via the waterway. An inland port will be built here, and cargo ships will operate. A logistics power corridor will be created.
-Suresh Singh Rawat, Water Resources Minister
