Lok Sabha Question No. 4066 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-03-24
Subject: Promotion of Water based Transport System
Ministry: PORTS, SHIPPING AND WATERWAYS
Asked by: Ramesh Bidhuri

## GOVERNMENT  OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF PORTS, SHIPPING AND WATERWAYS

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4066

ANSWERED ON 2410312023

## PROMOTION OF WATER BASED TRANSPORT SYSTEM

## 4066. SHRI RAMESH BIDHURI:

Will the Minister  of PORTS,  SHIPPING AND WATERWAyS  be pteased to state:

## qr+,  fra  qftq-6{  ofrt  uord q*

- whether the Government has taken any steps for development  of inland
- (b)
- (a) waterways  for cargo shipments  etc.;
- if so, the details  thereof; and
- (c) the steps taken by the Government for promotion of water based transport system?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER  OF PORTS, SHIPPING AND WATERWAYS

## (sHRt SARBANANDA  SONOWAL)

- (a) & (b) To promote  lnland Water Transport in the country through  rivers, 111 waterways including the 5 previously notified National  Wateruays (NWs) have been declared as National Waterways  under the National Waterways  Act, 2016. On the basis of outcome of techno-economic feasibility  study and Detailed  Project Report (DPR) of these NWs, action plan has been formulated for 26 NWs which were found viable  for cargo and passenger movement.  At present, development initiatives have
- been taken up in the 18 NWs. The detail is at Annexure-|.
- (c) The steps taken by the Government  for promotion  of water based transport system are detailed  at Annexure-ll.

## Annexu  re-l

## LIST oF 26 NATIONAL WATERWAYS  (NWP) rouNo reastele roR cenco t  plssel.lcen  NIOVeMeNt

| st.   | NW       | Details of WaterwaYs                                                      | Length (Km)   | STATES                                        | Status                                                                           |
|-------|----------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------|-----------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1     | NW,1     | Ganga-Bhagirathi-HooghlY River System (Haldia Allahabad)                  | 1620          | Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand & West Bengal | )evelopment aken up with \ssistance from tVorld Bank JalMargVikas :1s1gs1 (JMVp) |
| 2     | NW2      | Brahmaputra River (Dhubri Sadiya)                                         | 891           | Assam                                         | )evelopment raken up as per rpproved Standing Finance Sommittee (SFC)            |
| J     | NW 16    | Barak River (Lakhipur -Tuker Gram)                                        | 121           | Assam                                         | ior FY 2020-21 lo 2024-25                                                        |
| 4     | NW3      | West Coast Canal (KottaPuram - Kollam), Champakara and Udvoqmandal Canals | 205           | Kerala                                        | Mostly I Operational I Waterways. I Development andl                             |
| 5     | NW4      | Krishna River (Vijayawada M uktvala)                                      | 82            | Andhra Pradesh                                | Mostly I Operational I Waterways. I Development andl                             |
| b     | NW5      | Dhamra-Paradip via Manqalaqadi to Pankopal                                | 233           | Odisha                                        | Mostly I Operational I Waterways. I Development andl                             |
| 7     | NW8      | Alappuzha- Changanassery Canal                                            | 29            | Kerala                                        | Mostly I Operational I Waterways. I Development andl                             |
| o     | NW9      | Alappuzha - Kottayam Athirampuzha Canal                                   | 40            | Kerala (Alternate route: 11.5km)              | Mostly I Operational I Waterways. I Development andl                             |
| I     | NW 27    | Cumberjua River (Cortalim- Ferry to Sao MartiasVidhanParisad)             | 17            | Goa                                           | Mostly I Operational I Waterways. I Development andl                             |
| 10    | NW 68    | Mandovi River (Usgoan bridge to Arabian Sea)                              | 41            | Goa                                           | Mostly I Operational I Waterways. I Development andl                             |
| 11    | NW 111   | Zuari River (Sanvorden bridge to Marmuqao Port)                           | 50            | Goa                                           | Mostly I Operational I Waterways. I Development andl                             |
| 12    | NW 86    | Rupnarayan River (PratapPur lo Geonkhali)                                 | 72            | West Bengal                                   | [;*u"""-"']                                                                      |
| 13    | NW 97    | Sunderbans WaterwaY (Namkhana tc AtharaBankiKhal)                         | 172           | I West Bengal                                 | Mostly I Operational I Waterways. I Development andl                             |
| 14    | NW 40    | Ghagra River (Faizabad tc ManihiGhat)                                     | 345           | Bihar & U.P.                                  | Mostly I Operational I Waterways. I Development andl                             |
|       | 15 NW 52 | Kali River (Kodasalli Dam tc Sadashivgad Bridge, Arabiar Sea)             | E.)           | I Karnataka                                   | Mostly I Operational I Waterways. I Development andl                             |
| 16    | NW 44    | lchamati River (Bridge al Gobra to Bansjhari near                         | 63            | I West Bengal                                 | Mostly I Operational I Waterways. I Development andl                             |

| Border                         |                                                                                               |     |                       |                                       |
|--------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----|-----------------------|---------------------------------------|
| 17 NW 57 Kopili River Bus Stop | (BanthaiGaonTinali to Chandrapur No.2                                                         |  50 |                       | Assam                                 |
| 18 NW 31 Dhansiri village      | River (Morongi T. E Bridge to Numaliqarh)                                                     | 110 | Assam                 |                                       |
| 19 NW 10 Amba                  | River (Arabian Dharamtaar Creek ST Stand) Sea to                                              |  45 | Maharashtra           | for                                   |
| 20 NW 28                       | Nagothane Dabhol Creek Vasisti River (Arabian Sea at Dabhol to Bridge at Pedhe)               |  45 | Maharashtra           |                                       |
| 21 NW 25                       | Chapora River (Bridge near Maneri village to Morjim, Arabian Sea)                             |  25 | Goa                   |                                       |
| 22 NW 37                       | Gandak River (Bhaisalota Barrage to Hazipur)                                                  | 296 | Bihar & U.P.          | Mostly operational waterway. Selected |
| 23 NW 73                       | Narmada River (Pandhariya to Gulf of Khambhat)                                                | 226 | Maharashtra & Guiarat | further development.                  |
| 24 NW 85                       | Revadanda Creek - Kundalika River System (Arabian Sea al Revadanda to Bridge near Roha Nagar) |  31 | Maharashtra           |                                       |
| 25 NW 94                       | Sone River (Sone Barrage, Dehri to Confluence with the Ganqa)                                 | 141 | Bihar                 |                                       |
| to NW 1OO of                   | Tapi River (Hatnur Dam to Gull Khambhat)                                                      | 436 | Maha & Gujarat        | rashtra                               |

## WATERWAYS

## i. Fairway  develoPment works:

Fairway  development  works to ensure Least Available Depth (LAD) of 3.0 meter in Hat-oia-garrr,  2.5 meter in Barh-Ghazip  ur and 2.2 meter in GhazipurVaranasi stretches on NW-'l are in progress under the JalMargVikas Proiect  (JMVP) which has been undertaken  by lWAl with technical and financial assistance from world Bank. similarly, to improve  the connectivity between NW-1 and NW-2/NW-16 via the lndo Bangladesh  protocol  route, the critical and shallow  stretches  between sirajganj and Daikhowa on protocol route No1 & 2 and Ashuganj  and Zakiganj on protolol'rote no 3 &4 in Bangladesh are being  jointly developed by lndia and 'Bangladesh for round the year navigability  (with targeted LAD of 2.5 mtrs). similarly, fairw:ay development works are being carried out on NW-97 in Sunderbans to allow smooth  navigation  of vessels on the lndo-Bangladesh  Protocol  Route'

## ii. Development of New National  Waterways:

tWAl has identified 26 new NWs through techno-economic feasibility studies for undertaking  technical  interventions  to make the waterways navigable  for transportation  furpose.  Once ready, these new wategays will provide an alternate mode of transportation in respective  geographies.

## iii. Ro-Ro/Ro-Pax  Service Commenced in Various National Waterways:

The Operation of Ro-Ro / Ro-Pax vessels  inaugurated by Hon'ble Prime Minster during February  2021 for the following routes:

| Vessel Name                             | Ro-Ro/Ro-Pax Services between         | Date of lnauguration by Hon'ble Prime Min ister   |
|-----------------------------------------|---------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------|
| MV Rani Gaidinliu& MV SachinDeve Barman | Neamati and Kamalabari (Maiuli)       | 18.02.2021                                        |
| MV JFR Jacob                            | Guwahati and North Guwahati           | 18.02.2021                                        |
| MV Bob Khathing                         | Dhubri and Fakirganj (UiS Hatsinqimar | 18.02.2021                                        |
| MV AdiShankara& MV C.V. Raman           | Wellingdon lsland and BolghatY        | 14 02 2021                                        |

## iv. Revision of Levy & Collection of Fees:

Taking ahead the vision of the Government of lndia to promote lnland Waterways  is a supplementary  mode of transport' the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways has considered  waiver of waterway user charges initially for a period of three  years.

## 2. Diqital Solutions for Ease-of'Doinq  Business:

- . CAR-D (Cargo Data) Portal: CAR-D is a web based portal for collection compilation,  analysis  and dissemination  of all cargo and cruise movement  data National Waterways  to the stakeholders. & of

'PANI  (Portal for Asset & Navigation  lnformation):  pANl  is an integrated solution brining river navigation and infrastructure  information  on a single platform. lt provides detailed information of various features of National  watenauays  and the assets such as fainrvay, infrastructure facilities, cross-river  structures,  connectivity  at  jetties, emergency  services  for facilitating transportation  of cargo.

These solutions increase collaboration  across divergent stakeholders,  improve organizational  consistency,  increased  resource agility, enhances  ownership  and accountability  for each stakeholder leading to improved  management  of activities.  By having public access  to key work being done by lWAl for the sector, will enhance lWAl's standing  in the market and will increase trust in the sector.

## 3. Enhanced regional trade usinq IWT mode:

- o Addition of new Ports of Call and routes in lndia and Bangladesh  under PIWT&T: With 7 new ports of call in addition  to existing 6 on each side along with addition/  extension of 2 waterway  routes in addition to existing B routes under PIWT&T  between lndia and Bangladesh,  the accessibility of IWT mode for trade between lndia and Bangladesh is expected to increase and result in growth of traffic on NWs.
- . Trade between Bhutan and Bangladesh: Stone exporters  from Bhutan have identified lnland waterways as an alternate  mode of transportation  considering the benefits associated  with waterways mode such as lower transportation cost, larger shipment size compared  to road, avoiding congestion on land routes etc. The first movement  under supervision  of lWAl was successfully executed in July 2019. This trade using the IWT mode is expected  to continue and reach a significant  scale in the coming years.

## 4. Standard Operatinq Procedures (SOPs)  for facilitatinq the Stakeholders to use Inland Water Transport and access the various information  related to National  Waterwavs:

The list of Standard Operating  Procedures (SOPs) for various  National Waterways which are available at lWAl website is as given below:

- i. Standard Operating  Procedures (SOP) of the Agreement  on the use of Chattogram and Mongla Ports for movement of goods  to and from lndia between the Government  of the People's Republic  of Bangladesh  and the Government  of Republic  of lndia.
- iii. Standard Operating Procedures  (SOP) for the MoU on use of lnland Waterways for Transportation of Bilateral Trade and Transit cargoes between the Government of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Government of Republic of lndia.
- ii. Standard Operating Procedures  (SOP) of MoU on Passenger and Cruise Services on the Coastal and Protocol Route between the Government of the People's  Republic  of Bangladesh  and the Government  of Republic  of lndia.
- iv. Standard Operating  Procedures (SOP) for the Movement of Vessels on Protocol on lnland Water Transit and Trade (PIWT&T) to contain the spread of COV|D19.
- vi. Standard  Operating Procedures  (SOP) for Car-D Portal.
- v. Standard  Operating Procedures  (SOP)  and Check List for Ro-Ro i Ro-Pax vessel operations on National Waterurays.

## 5. Stakeholder  consultations:

The Waterways  Conclave  was held at diOiugartr on 11th &'12th April, 2022.fhe event was attended by 4 neighbouring  countries and 12 waterway connected states for Dromotion  of WateMaY.

lWAl carried out stal-etrolder  consultations at six different  locations  (Kolkata' Kochi,Mumbai,Patna,GoaandDhaka)inFY-20'gnos.duringFY-21and06nos. conference-cum-webinars  in FY22 for cargo  promotion'

i6J i tn"r"oible  lndia lnternational  Cruise  Conference 2022 was organized by at Mumbai on 14-',15 May,2022.  The sessions relating to Potential  of River cruising wai organised  Oy tWAt wherein leading cruise operators had participated.  These interactfuns nelpeO in promoting wateMays as a mode of transportation  and understanding expectations and feedback of stakeholders. lwAl is undertaking tarteteJ initiitives to address the expectation and feedback  received to further enhance traffic on NWs.

- o PM Gati Shakti Multimodal waterway  connectivity  Summit  held in Varanasi from lith -12th November  2022 atlended  by Hon'ble Union Minister of Ports' Shipping & Waten,rtays  (PSW), Hon'ble  Chief Minister' Uttar Pradesh' Hon,ble Union triinister of Commerce, Hon'ble Ministers- PSW. This summit focussed on creating more awareness  about the PM Gati shakti and 07 community jetties  wer6 inaugurated, and foundation stones laid for 08 community  jetties on the Ganga.
- o Flagging off of world's longest river cruise and waterways  developlent proi"itJ in"rgurated  and foundation  stone was laid online by Hon'ble Prime Ministe, in the  presence of Hon'ble Minister  PSW, Hon'ble Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh  on 13th January 2023 alVaranasi.

## river Ganqa i.e. NW-1:

on the sustainable  development  model to energize economic activities which will impact on overall  over all ecosystems  along the riverbank'

---JMVPJ (Arth Ganga) is being developed on an approach based on the principles

This can lead to inclusive  growth and play a key role in improving livelihoods of  the  populations with the transportation  of  goods passengers  (including  tourist)  through National Waterways No 1' the and

The prolect is envisaged at a total cost of Rs. 746.00 cr' as below:

| Sl.No.   | Project Component                                      | Estimated cost (Rs. in cr.)   |
|----------|--------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------|
| 1        | Fairway development                                    | 300                           |
| 2        | River lnformation System and survey activities         | 111                           |
| J        | Modernization of Existing navigational Lock at Farakka | "t00                          |
| 4        | Construction of Community jetties and Ro-Ro terminals  | 175                           |
| q        | IWT Promotions and consultancy etc.                    | 60                            |
|          | Total                                                  | 746                           |