<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:
"Times New Roman",serif">Marking a critical structural milestone for India's
inland water logistics, a high-volume <b>1,500 metric tonne (MT)</b>
consignment of UltraTech Cement has successfully arrived at the Pandu port
terminal in Guwahati from Kolkata. Navigated through the complex <b>Indo-Bangladesh
Protocol (IBP) Route</b>, the voyage represents the first official scheduled
freight delivery finalized under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways'
newly unveiled <b>'Jalvahak' cargo promotion policy</b>. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:
"Times New Roman",serif">The breakthrough transit bridges National Waterway 1
(Ganga) and National Waterway 2 (Brahmaputra), proving the commercial
reliability of fixed-day scheduled river service for bulk industrial
commodities.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;
font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">The 'Jalvahak' Policy Framework and
Financial Incentives<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<ul style="margin-top:0cm" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Strategic
Cost Deflation</span></b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;
font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">: The voyage was executed under the
government's standard <b>30% to 35% operating expenditure reimbursement
guarantee</b>. Designed to catalyze a modal shift away from congested rail
and road networks, the scheme rewards cargo owners moving high-bulk
freight over distances exceeding 300 km via inland channels. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Intermodal
Partnership Infrastructure</span></b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">: The operation was
managed through a joint deployment by the <b>Inland Waterways Authority of
India (IWAI)</b> and Inland & Coastal Shipping Limited (ICSL), a
specialized, wholly owned subsidiary of the Shipping Corporation of India
(SCI). <o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;
font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Fleet Deployment and Transit Logistics<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<ul style="margin-top:0cm" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Harbor
Asset Allocation</span></b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;
font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">: The 1,500-tonne bulk cement parcel
was safely moved utilizing the high-power tug <b>MV Trishul</b>, which
securely maneuvered two specialized dumb barges <b>D.B. Ajay</b> and <b>D.B.
Dikhu</b> across the cross-border river loop. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Strict
Turnaround Calendars</span></b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">: Under the fixed-day service
charter, the mandatory transit window for the Kolkata-to-Pandu link via
the IBP route is locked at <b>18 days</b>, providing commercial
manufacturers with predictable inventory forecasting while reducing carbon
emissions by nearly <b>25 percent</b> compared to long-haul trucking. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>