Prime Minister Narendra Modi, traversing West Bengal’s industrial heartland from Malda to Singur, inaugurated projects exceeding Rupees 830 crore, cementing the Centre’s resolve to elevate eastern India as Viksit Bharat’s cornerstone. In Hugli district, he laid foundation stones for Balagarh’s expanded port gate system an Inland Waterways Transport terminal and overbridge spanning 900 acres with 2.7 million tonnes per annum capacity for containerised and dry bulk cargo. This pivot promises to decongest Kolkata’s arterial roads, slashing logistics costs, curbing emissions, and unlocking investments for SMEs, farmers, and ancillary trades while spawning direct and indirect jobs in operations and maintenance.
Rail enhancements cascade forth. Building on yesterday’s Vande Bharat Sleeper debut and half a dozen Amrit Bharat Express infusions, three more commenced: Kolkata Howrah Anand Vihar Terminal, Kolkata Sealdah Banaras, and Kolkata Sankrail Tambaram. The Jayaramvati Barogopinathpur Mayapur rail line, integral to Tarkeshwar Bishnupur corridor, grants Bankura residents affordable access for commuters, students, and pilgrims. Mr. Modi hailed these as unprecedented strides in Bengal’s rail matrix over 24 hours, fortifying Varanasi links and southward extensions to Tamil Nadu.
Waterways emerge as force multiplier. Balagarh’s jetty duo will amplify Ganga freight, morphing Hugli into storage and trade nexus, easing urban traffic strictures while channeling produce to distant markets. Sagarmala’s Shyama Prasad Mukherjee port expansions, road augmentations, and Kolkata’s cargo records affirm fruition. A Kochi Shipyard crafted hybrid electric catamaran 50 passenger aluminium vessel with lithium titanate batteries heralds zero emission urban ferries, boosting riverine tourism, last mile connectivity, and green propulsion along Hugli.
Mr. Modi’s vision integrates ports, waterways, highways, and airports into seamless grids, compressing logistics timelines and greening transit vectors. Fisheries and seafood exports beckon Bengal to national preeminence, synergising inland navigation for fishers and growers. Governor C.V. Ananda Bose and Union Ministers Sarbananda Sonowal, Shantanu Thakur, Sukanta Majumdar underscored federal heft amid Trinamool’s turf.
Yet, in a state riven by land acquisition scars like Singur’s Tata Nano saga, these gestures recalibrate narrative from agitation to aspiration. Multi modal synergy not only economises haulage but democratises opportunity, positioning eastern periphery as national fulcrum. Sustained beyond optics, this blueprint could transmute Bengal’s waterways into economic thoroughfares, proving inclusive development as antidote to regional dissonance.
