Lok Sabha Question No. 538 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-07-22
Subject: Shipping Channels
Ministry: PORTS, SHIPPING AND WATERWAYS
Asked by: Sougata Ray

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF PORTS, SHIPPING  AND WATERWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.538

TO BE ANSWERED ON 22ND JULY, 2021

## SHIPPING CHANNELS

## 538. PROF. SAUGATA RAY:

Will the Minister  of PORTS, SHIPPING  AND WATERWAYS  be pteased  to slate:

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- (a) whether  the Government  has any proposal  to set up new shipping  channels for transportation of goods on cost efficient manner across  lhe couniry;
- (b) if  so, the details thereof;
- (c) whelher any State Government has sent new proposal in this regard; and
- (d) if  so, the details thereof and the action  taken  thereon?

## ANSWER

MINISTER  OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY  OF PORTS, SHIPPING  AND WATERWAYS (SHRI  SHRIPAD NAIK)

- (a) & (b) lnland  Waterways  Authority of lndia (lWAl) is mandated  for regulation  and development  of National Waterways  for the purpose  of shipping  and navigation  under the lnland  Waterways  Authority  of lndia  Act, 1985. To promote  intand water transporl (lWT) in the country, 111 wateruJays  (including  5 existing NWs and 106 new wateMays) have been declared  as National Waterways  (NWs)  under the National WateMays  Act, 2016 spread over 24 States in the country  which came into effect from 12h April, 2016. Based on the outcome  of techno-economic  feasibility and Detailed Project  Reports (DPRS)  of NWs, lnland Waterways Authority of lndia (lWAt)  has conctuded  that 23 NWs have been found viable  for cargo movement.  The list of the 23 NWs viable for cargo movemenl is at Annexure.
- (c) & (d) Government of Tripura has proposed  for declaration of Gumti River as Nalional  Waterway. However,  the proposed  wateMay does not have  potential for declaration as National  Waterway  (NW) in terms of cargo potential  and economic  lnland Water Transport  (lWT) operation. The only notable factor is that lhe above stretch of Gumti river shall connect Tripura  State hinterland with Bangladesh through IBP route I & 10 (Daudkandi - Sonamura stretch ofthe river in Bangladesh).

A proposal  to declare waterway  stretches from Kollam (Quilon) to Kovalam in South and Kottapuram  to Hosdurg in Norlh of Kerala as National Waterway was received from Hon'ble Chief Minister, Kerala  in May, 2016. A Techno-Economic Feasibility (TEF) study through National Transportation  Planning and Research Centre (NATPAC- a Govt. of Kerala lnstitution) was conducted in 2014 with regard to extension of West Coast Canal in the South of Kollam (Quilon)  up to Kovalam and North of Kottapuram up to Kasargod.  TEF study found only Kottapuram - Kozhikode (Calicut) stretch in the North of Kottapuram technically feasible  for development  of shipping and navigation and accordingly  extension  of West Coast Canal up to Kozhikode (Calicut) in the North of Kottapuram was considered in the National  Waterways  Bill, 2015. CalicutNeeleswaram stretch which is part of Kottapuram-Hosdurg  slretch  was not found feasible for development of shipping & navigation as per TEF report.  The Kollam (Quilon)  -  Kovalam  stretch (South of Kollam) was also not found technically feasible due to the  presence of Varkala tunnel. The above position  was conveyed to the Hon'ble Chief Minister of Kerala in July, 2016. However, later Govt. of Kerala foMarded  a proposal  for formation  of SPV for developing  lnland  WateMays  from Kollam  to Kovalam and Kozhikode  to Kasargod at a cost of Rs.6,000 crore.

Hon'ble Chief Minister of Kerala was informed by Hon'ble Minister for Road Transport Highways and Shipping in March 2018 that in the absence of any scheme of Govt. of lndia, the Shipping  Ministry  would find it difficult to provide financial assistance to implement  faiMays development  of stretches  which are not part  of declared National  Waterways  (NWs).

## Arf nexure

## LIST OF 23 NATIONAL.WATERWAYS  FOUND FEASIBLE FOR CARGO MOVEMENT

| sl. No.   | National Watenray No.   | Details of Watenrays                                                      | STATES                                        |
|-----------|-------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------|
| 1         | NationalWaterway 1      | Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly River System (Haldia - Allahabad)                | Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand & West Bengal |
| 2         | NationalWaterway 2      | Brahmaputra River (Dhubri - Sadiva)                                       | Assam                                         |
| 3         | NationalWatenuay 16     | Barak River                                                               | Assam                                         |
| 4         | NationalWaterway 3      | West Coast Canal (Kottapuram - Kollam), Champakara and Udyogmandal Canals | Kerala                                        |
| 5         | NationalWaterway 4      | Krishna River (Vijayawada - Muktyala)                                     | Andhra Pradesh                                |
| 6         | NationalWaterway 5      | Dhamra-Paradio via Mangalagadi to Pankopal                                | Odisha                                        |
| 7         | NationalWaterway 8      | Alappuzha- Changanassery Canal                                            | Kerala                                        |
| I         | NationalWaterway 9      | Alappuzha-Kottayam Athirampuzha Canal                                     | Kerala Alternate route: 1 1.Skm               |
| 9         | NationalWaterway 27     | Cumberjua River                                                           | Goa                                           |
| 10        | NationalWaterway 68     | Mandovi River                                                             | Goa                                           |
| 11        | NationalWaterway 86     | Rupnarayan River                                                          | West Bengal                                   |
| 12        | NationalWaterway 97     | Sunderbans Waterway                                                       | West Bengal                                   |
| 13        | National Waterway 111   | Zuari River                                                               | Goa                                           |
| 14        | NationalWatenruay 10    | Amba River                                                                | Maharashtra                                   |
| 15        | NationalWaterway 44     | lchamati River                                                            | West Bengal                                   |
| 16        | NationalWateruvav 52    | Kali River                                                                | Karnataka                                     |
| 17        | NationalWaterway 57     | Kopili River                                                              | Assam                                         |
| 18        | NationalWaterway 73     | Narmada River                                                             | Maharashtra & Gujarat                         |
| 19        | NationalWatenivay 83    | Rajpuri Creek                                                             | Maharashtra                                   |
| 20        | NationalWaterway 85     | Revadanda Creek - Kundalika River Svstem                                  | Maharashtra                                   |
| 21        | NationalWaterway 91     | Shastri River - Jaigad Creek Svstem                                       | Maharashtra                                   |
| 22        | NationalWaterway 94     | Sone River                                                                | Bihar                                         |
| 23        | National Waterway 100   | Tapi River                                                                | Maharashtra & Gujarat                         |