Lok Sabha Question No. 4790 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-03-30
Subject: Transportation through Waterways and Coastal Shipping
Ministry: SHIPPING
Asked by: JAYAKUMAR JAYAVARDHAN, HEENA VIJAYKUMAR GAVIT, SUPRIYA SADANAND SULE, RAJEEV SHANKARRAO SATAV, DHANANJAY BHIMRAO MAHADIK, BHARATENDRA SINGH, RABINDRA KUMAR JENA, VIJAYSINH MOHITE PATIL

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF SHIPPING

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.4790

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 30th MARCH, 2017

## TRANSPORTATION THROUGH WATERWAYS AND COASTAL SHIPPING

4790.   DR. J. JAYAVARDHAN:

DR. HEENA VIJAYKUMAR GAVIT:

SHRIMATI SUPRIYA SULE:

SHRI SATAV RAJEEV:

SHRI DHANANJAY MAHADIK:

KUNWAR BHARATENDRA:

SHRI RABINDRA KUMAR JENA:

SHRI MOHITE PATIL VIJAYSINH SHANKARRAO:

Will the Minister of SHIPPING be pleased to state:

## पोतप�रवहनमंत्

- (a) the total freight transportedthrough inland waterways and coastalshipping in the country during the last threeyears and the current year;
- (b) the ratio of freight so transported vis-à-vis other modes of transportation inthe country during the said period;
- (c) the steps taken/being taken by theGovernment to improve the transportationof freight through inland waterways andcoastal shipping; and
- (d) the extent to which these stepshave been successful so far?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF SHIPPING (SHRI PON. RADHAKRISHNAN)

(a):    The total freight transported through Coastal Shipping in the country during the last three years is as follows.

(in million tonnes)

|            |   2013-14 |   2014-15 |   2015-16 (P) |
|------------|-----------|-----------|---------------|
| Major Port |    114.66 |    119.48 |       125.259 |
| Minor Port |     46.7  |     53.19 |        53.661 |
| Total      |    161.36 |    172.67 |       178.92  |

The cargo movement on National Waterways including Goa and Maharashtra waterways is as follows: (in million tonnes)

|       |   2013-14 |   2014-15 |   2015-16 (P) |
|-------|-----------|-----------|---------------|
| Total |     32.26 |     36.54 |         42.66 |

(b):   As per report of Sub Group VIII (Inland Water Transport) of the Working Group on Ports and Shipping under the National Transport  Development Policy Committee  (NTDPC), the proportionate share of cargo transportation through different modes in the country is as below :

Road:

60%

Railway:

25%

Oil and Gas Pipelines:

6 %

Coastal Shipping:

6 %

Other modes such as like ropeways etc:

2.6%

Inland Water Transport:

0.4%

Total:

100%                                                  …2/-

(c):The Government has taken the following steps for promotion of transportation through   coastal shipping and national waterways:

## Coastal Shipping

- i) Moderating the manning and technical requirements for vessels operating within Indian territorial waters through a River Sea Vessel notification.
2. ii)  Declaring the inland vessel limits for facilitating coastal trade operations.
3. iii) Issuing coastal shipping rules for coastal vessels operating within 20 miles off the coast.
4. iv) Exempting Customs and Central Excise duty on bunker fuels (IFO 180 and IFO 380 CST) by Indian flagged coastal container vessels.
- v)  Bringing abatement of service tax at 70% for coastal shipping at par with road and rail.

vi)  Simplification of customs procedures.

vii) Cabotage relaxation for specialised vessel and increase in discount by major port in port charges from 40% to 80% for two years w.e.f. 02/09/2016.

## National Waterways

- i) The Government has declared 111 National Waterways (NWs), which includes five National Waterways declared earlier, under the National Waterways Act, 2016.
2. ii) National Waterway -1 (Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly river system from Allahabad to Haldia), National  Waterway  -  2  (River  Brahmaputra  from  Dhubri  to  Sadiya)  and  National Waterway-3 (West Coast Canal from Kottapuram to Kollam along with Udyogmandal and Champakara  Canals)  have  been  developed  with  fairway,    navigational  aids,  jetties  and terminals  with  mechanized  equipment  handling  facilities  for  loading  and  unloading  of cargo.  These waterways are operational and vessels are plying on these NWs.
3. iii). The Jal Marg Vikas project for capacity augmentation of NW-1 from Haldia to Varanasi  is being  implemented,  with  the  technical  and  financial  support  of  the  World  Bank.  The project  envisages  various  sub-projects  such  as  fairway  development,  navigational  aids, construction of multi-modal terminals at Varanasi, Sahibganj and Haldia, construction of new navigational lock at Farakka, bank protection work, movement of LNG vessels, LNG bunkering facilities etc.  Loan negotiations for the project have been concluded recently.
4. iv) National  Waterway-4  (Kakinada-  Puducherry  canals  along  with  Godavari  to    Krishna rivers) :  On the stretch between Muktyala to Vijayawada of NW - 4 dredging works to remove shallow patches has been awarded.
- v) National  Waterway  -5  (East  Coast  Canal  integrated  with  Brahmani  river  and  Mahanadi delta rivers):The dredging operation in the non-tidal stretch between Erada to Padanipal has commenced.  Lease  agreement  has  been  signed  for  6.79  acres  of  land  for  setting  up  of temporary  terminal  facility  at  Erada.  Scheme  for  developing  the  terminal  with  floating pontoon  equipped  with  suitable  cranes  alongwith  associated  civil  engineering  work  has been sanctioned and work for construction of pontoon with gangway has been awarded.
6. vi) National Waterway -16 (River Barak): Lakhipur - Bhanga stretch of river Barak (121 Km) has  been  declared  as  National  Waterway  -16.  The  development  of  this  waterway  is proposed  in  two  stages.  The  stretch  from  Silchar  to  Bhanga  (71km)  is  proposed  under Phase -  I  and  the  remaining  stretch  from  Silchar  to  Lakhipur  (50km)  in  Phase  II.  Work orders  for  development  of  fairway  and  for  providing  navigational  aids  in  the  stretch between Silchar - Bhanga have been awarded.

vii)  Detailed project report for development of Kosi (NW-58), Gandak (NW-37), Ghaghra (NW-40), Mandovi (NW -68), Zuari (NW -111), and Cumberjua (NW-27) have been prepared.

- (d) The extent to which steps have been successful is reflected in Tables at (a) above.

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