SHIVAMOGGA: Karnataka’s coastline and river network could soon see a significant boost in inland water transport, with the Centre outlining a detailed plan to develop floating jetties, ferry routes and river-cruise infrastructure across several National Waterways (NW).
Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal, in a written reply to an unstarred question from Udupi-Chikmagalur MP Kota Srinivasa Poojary, said the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) has drawn up an action plan to build or upgrade jetties along key rivers in Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Uttara Kannada by 2026-27. The plan includes expanding existing ferry points, introducing navigational aid.
Karnataka has 12 declared NWs under the National Waterways Act, 2016. As part of the current development push, IWAI has proposed three pairs of connecting jetties on the Gurupur (NW-43) and Netravathi (NW-74) rivers.
These include links to the Bengre ferry service, the BMS ferry line and Sulthan Bathery. Another pair of jetties has been proposed at Bolar and Ullal to support a short 1.5-km ferry corridor that otherwise requires a 15.7-km road journey.
On the Kali river (NW-52), navigational aids and augmentation of the existing 24-metre jetty has been planned. A new floating jetty has been proposed at Kodi beach on the Panchagangavali river (NW-76) to support backwater cruise routes, while two jetties at Honnavar and Gerusoppa on the Sharavati river (NW-90) are in the pipeline.
Tendering for these works has already begun. In Udupi, a floating jetty at Malpe is also part of the expansion plan on the Udayavara river (NW-105). The ministry said existing cruise services, which connect Malpe Sea View, St Mary’s Island and Daria Bahadurgarh Fort, stand to benefit.