4 State rivers to get national waterways.

Transporting cargo and ferrying passengers on Maharashtra’s rivers is likely to begin in a few years, with the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) deciding to set up four National Waterways (NW) in the State. Besides these, three NWs are also being planned in the neighbouring State of Goa.

Pravir Pandey, vice-chairman, IWAI, said, “We have identified eight to nine rivers in Maharashtra. The Detailed Project Report (DPR) and environment study are at an advanced stage. By June 2017, we will have a clear picture. However, we are certain that we are going ahead with four NWs in Maharashtra.”

The rivers chosen for these national waterways include the Amba (NW 10) with a 42-km waterway. The NW 28 will use the Dabhol Creek-Vashishti, Revadanda Creek-Kundalika for the NW 85 and the Savitri Bankot Creek NW 89. Mr. Pandey said IWAI will be signing MoUs with the Maharashtra Maritime Board for developing these waterways.

The IWAI is also signing tripartite agreements with Mormugao Port Trust (MPT) and the Captain of Ports Department, Government of Goa for three NWs in Goa. These are the NW 68 on the Mandovi, NW 111 on the Zuari and NW 27 on the Cumbarjua Canal. “Waterways in Maharashtra and Goa are very important. For Amba, we have already held discussions with the stakeholders. There have been demands for terminals and jetties, which need to be built. We will also modernise some of the existing terminals, which are presently in bad shape. The DPR is being prepared,” Mr. Pandey said. He added that DPRs are ready for Mandovi and Zuari rivers, and work is expected to start soon on them.

The IWAI has started work to develop waterways on 106 rivers. This is in addition to five NWs being set up on major rivers, including the Ganga, Bramhaputra and the Mahanadi. The NW1 coming up on the Ganga is expected to cost ₹5,369 crore to develop. It will be 1,400 km in length and connect Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh to Hooghly in Bengal. The World Bank is funding 50% of this project, which is expected to be completed in 2021.

The Union government has promised to transport cargo at 2 paise per ton per km on waterways, thus reducing logistics cost and curbing pollution by taking pressure off the highways. The IWAI is also planning to develop recreational facilities at terminals and jetties for extra revenue, which can be used to subsidise cargo tariff. Cold storage and related facilities will also come up at these spots.

THE HINDU