Lok Sabha Question No. 2274 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-12-15
Subject: Freight Transportation
Ministry: PORTS, SHIPPING AND WATERWAYS
Asked by: P.P. Chaudhary, Anurag Sharma, Ramapati Ram Tripathi, Sangamlal Kadedin Gupta, C. R. Patil

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2274

ANSWERED ON 15.12.2023

## FREIGHT TRANSPORTATION

2274.  SHRI P.P. CHAUDHARY: SHRI ANURAG SHARMA: DR. RAMAPATI RAM TRIPATHI: SHRI SANGAM LAL GUPTA: SHRI C.R. PATIL:

Will the Minister of PORTS, SHIPPING AND WATERWAYSbe pleased to state:

## पȅन , पोतपįरवहनऔरजलमागŊमंũी

- (a) the details of national waterways on which freight transportation is operational, State-wise including Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan;
- (b) whether the Government provide any financial incentives and benefits to encourage people to use waterways as a medium of freight transportation;
- (c) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;
- (d) the steps taken/proposed to be taken by the Government to develop four national waterways from the State of Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan;
- (e) whether the Government has released funds for the development of four national waterways in the State of Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan;
- (f) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;
- (g) whether the freight transportation activities are operational on any of the four national waterways in the States of Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan; and
- (h) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF PORTS, SHIPPING AND WATERWAYS (SHRI SARBANANDA SONOWAL)

- (a) The  details  of  the National  Waterways  on  which  freight  transportation  is operational, State wise including Uttar Pradesh is attached as Annexure-1. There is no  waterway  found  viable  for  shipping  and  navigation  in  Rajasthan  as  per  the feasibility study completed.

(b)&  (c)Yes,  Sir.  Ministry  of  Port  Shipping  and  Waterways  has  waived  off  the waterway usage charges at a rate of Rs 0.02 per Gross Registered Tonnage (GRT) per  kilometer for  plying  of  Inland  cargo  vessels  and  Rs.  0.05  per  gross  registered tonnage (GRT) per kilometer for plying of Cruise vessels on national waterways to promote inland  waterways  as  a  supplementary,  eco-friendly  and  cheaper mode  of transport.

(d), (e) & (f) Out of 111 National Waterways (NWs) declared vide National Waterways  Act,  2016,  11  NWs  are  in  the  State  of  Uttar  Pradesh  and  3  NWs  in Rajasthan (including interstate NWs)as detailed at Annexure-2 . Feasibility Studies/Detailed  Project  Reports  have  been  completed  of  the  NWs.  As  per  the findings  of  the  Study  Reports,  no  NW  of  Rajasthan  has  been  found  viable  for shipping and navigation.2 NWs of Uttar Pradesh namely the Ganga (NW-1) and the Ghagra (NW-40) taken up for development for shipping and navigation. Development of a floating jetty on the stretch of Vrindavan-Mathura-Gokul (24 km) of River Yamuna (NW-110) has been taken up and details of funds utililzed is given at Annexure-3 .

(g) & (h)National Waterway-1 (NW-1) is operational for freight transportation in the State of Uttar Pradesh. Freight transportation activities are not operational on any of the three NWs of Rajasthan.

## Annexure-1

## Details of operational National Waterways for freight transportation

|   Sl.No. | State / UT                        | National Waterways                                                                           |
|----------|-----------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|        1 | U.P., Bihar, Jharkhand, W. Bengal | NW-1 (Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly River System (Haldia-Allahabad))                              |
|        2 | Assam                             | NW-2 (Brahmaputra River (Dhubri-Sadiya))                                                     |
|        3 | Kerala                            | NW-3 (West Coast Canal)                                                                      |
|        4 | A.P.                              | NW-4 (Krishna Godavari River Systems)                                                        |
|        5 | Maharashtra                       | NW-10 (Amba River)                                                                           |
|        6 | Maharashtra                       | NW-83 (Rajpuri Creek)                                                                        |
|        7 | Maharashtra                       | NW-85 (Revadanda Creek-Kundalika River System)                                               |
|        8 | Maharashtra                       | NW-91 (Shastri River - Jaigad Creek System)                                                  |
|        9 | Goa                               | NW-68 (Mandovi River)                                                                        |
|       10 | Goa                               | NW-111 (Zuari River)                                                                         |
|       11 | Gujarat                           | NW-73 (Narmada River)                                                                        |
|       12 | Gujarat                           | NW-100 (Tapi River)                                                                          |
|       13 | Assam                             | NW-16 (Barak River)                                                                          |
|       14 | W. Bengal                         | NW-44 (Ichamati River)                                                                       |
|       15 | W. Bengal                         | NW-97 (Sunderbans Waterway)                                                                  |
|       16 | Odisha                            | NW-64 (Mahanadi River)                                                                       |
|       17 | Odisha                            | NW-5 (East Coast Canal And Matai River/Brahmani-Kharsua-Dhamra Rivers/Mahanadi Delta Rivers) |
|       18 | W. Bengal                         | NW-86 (Rupnarayan River)                                                                     |
|       19 | Kerala                            | NW-9 (Alappuzha-Kottayam-Athirampuzha Canal)                                                 |
|       20 | Assam                             | NW-31 (Dhansiri/Chathe)                                                                      |
|       21 | Kerala                            | NW-8 (Alappuzha-Changanassery Canal)                                                         |
|       22 | Odisha                            | NW-14 (Baitarni River)                                                                       |
|       23 | Odisha                            | NW-23 (BudhaBalanga)                                                                         |

## Details  of  National  Waterways  (NWs)  in  Uttar  Pradesh,  including  inter-State NWs -

|   No. of NWs | State(s)                                       | Name of NWs                                                                                                                 |
|--------------|------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|            6 | Uttar Pradesh                                  | NW-12 (Assi River) NW-19 (Betwa river) NW-24 (Chambal river) NW-42 (Gomati river) NW-103 (Tons river) NW-108 (Varuna river) |
|            1 | Bihar, Uttar Pradesh , Jharkhand & West Bengal | NW-1 (Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly River System (Haldia - Allahabad)                                                            |
|            3 | Bihar & Uttar Pradesh                          | NW-37 (Gandak river) NW-40 (Ghaghra river) NW-54 (Karamnasa river)                                                          |
|            1 | Delhi, Haryana & Uttar Pradesh                 | NW-110 (Yamuna river)                                                                                                       |
|            1 | Punjab, Haryana & Rajasthan                    | NW-45 (Indira Gandhi Canal)                                                                                                 |
|            1 | Gujarat & Rajasthan                            | NW-48 (Jawai-Luni-Rann of Kutch River System)                                                                               |
|            1 | Rajasthan                                      | NW-63 (Luni river)                                                                                                          |

The details of expenditure on Development of NWs in Uttar Pradesh with other State  on NW-1, NW-40 and jetty development on NW-110 during the last five years, are as under:

( Rs. in Crore)

| Sl. No.   | National Waterways                                                                                                               |   2018- 19 |   2019- 20 |   2020- 21 |   2021- 22 |   2022- 23 |
|-----------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------|------------|------------|------------|------------|
| 1.(a)     | NW-1 (Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly River system) in U.P., Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal                                           |     211.09 |     155.1  |      58.54 |      87.83 |      87.22 |
| 1.(b)     | Jetty development on NW-110 (Mathura stretch of Yamuna)                                                                          |       0    |       0    |       0    |       0    |      11.7  |
| 1.(c)     | Development of River Ghaghra (NW- 40) in UP & Bihar                                                                              |       0.01 |       0    |       0.02 |       0.79 |       1.65 |
| 2         | JalMargVikas Project (JMVP) on NW-1 (U.P., Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal) - Grants for creation of Capital Assets (GoI share) |     430.92 |     461.82 |     214.05 |     229.04 |     315.88 |
| Total     | Total                                                                                                                            |     642.02 |     616.92 |     272.61 |     317.66 |     416.45 |

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