Ranit Kr. Singh , Kolkata — West Bengal will officially integrate Kolkata into the Union government’s ambitious water metro project, making it the 18th riverine city in the country to adopt this modern transport system. Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced the development on Thursday, June 4, 2026, following a high-level strategic meeting at the State Secretariat with Union Minister for Ports, Shipping, and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal. The decision marks a significant shift toward enhancing regional inland water transport, which aligns with central infrastructure goals. The initiative aims to replicate the successful transit model operational in Kochi since 2021 and currently expanding to cities like Guwahati, Patna, and Srinagar.

The massive upgrade involves extensive maritime infrastructure expansions across the state, including the construction of forty-four new jetties approved by the Ministry of Shipping and the Shyama Prasad Mookerjee Port Trust. Coastal development plans also include the reconstruction of the Sagar Island sea beach to elevate the annual Ganga Sagar Mela into an internationally recognized tourism fair. Furthermore, the state has officially scrapped the contested Tajpur deep-sea port project due to critical land shortages that previously forced the Adani Group to withdraw. Authorities have now relocated the proposed deep-sea port project to a newly identified 1,700-acre site at Dadanpatrabar, located roughly ten kilometers away from the original location.

This shift mirrors West Bengal’s broader economic strategy to rectify past infrastructural delays by fully committing to the next phase of national maritime planning. The state administration confirmed it will actively participate in the newly approved Sagarmala-2 framework after missing out on the initial phase of the central maritime program. Officials are already drafting a comprehensive five-year development proposal valued at 22,700 crore rupees to secure central funding and drive transformative regional growth. Concluding the media briefing, Chief Minister Adhikari stated, "Kolkata is being joined in the water metro; the Government of India decided to run water metros in 17 riverine or coastal cities, and Kolkata will join as the 18th city."