Public sector company WAPCOS is preparing a model detailed project report for implementing low-cost ferry services on India’s inland waterways in the north eastern states, said Union shipping minister Mansukh Mandaviya in a statement this week. “The Ministry of Shipping is keen to start inland waterways navigation and passenger transportation in the rivers in the North Eastern states of the country,” the minister said in the statement.
According to the ministry, this model DPR can be adopted for quick implementation by the Inland Waterways Authority of India in consultation with the different state governments in the region. “Inland waterways transport can be a game changer for the North Eastern states as land routes here are often long, circuitous and time consuming due to the difficult terrain. Besides bringing ease of movement, the waterways projects will also help generate employment locally,” Mandaviya said.
According to officials, the Government of India is already developing the country’s first National Waterway (NW 1) running along the river Ganga from Haldia to Varanasi with assistance from World Bank.
More than 50 operators are currently transporting cargo on NW-1, including integrated cargo movement on NW-1, the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol route and the NW-2, which runs along the Brahmaputra river), according to data from the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI). The Union government has ramped up efforts to promote inland waterway use over the past few years.