There is development in the project for an Inland Port in Jalore and a 262-Km Waterway, connecting the Arabian Sea with the Southwestern Rajasthani town via Kandla port. This will transform the life, the economy, and the ecology of the desert state.
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) has already been signed between the Rajasthan River Basin, Water Resources Planning Authority, and Inland Waterways Authority of India on October 28 during the India Maritime Week 2025 in Mumbai, State Water Resources Minister Suresh Rawat said on Tuesday.
Under the project, the Arabian Sea would be connected with Jalore by dredging through Gujarat and Rajasthan. The Jawai-Luni-Run of the Kutch River System has already been declared as National Waterway Number 48.
Presently, the work of a physical survey on the route (path) of the Waterway up to Jalore, by a team of experts from IIT Madras, is underway. The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras has also submitted a draft of the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the inland port.
As per the MoU, the channel dredging for the 262Km Waterway would cost Rs 10,000 crore. The Centre and the state government would bear jointly the burden of funding for the project.
The project, on completion, will usher in the era of the Inland Waterways connectivity in the desert state.
The dream transformation is expected to be achieved on completion of the project; besides other benefits in economic, trade, industrial, transportation, and ecological sectors, it is likely to create job avenues for over 50,000 people in different sectors.