In an ambitious initiative aimed at promoting water transport across 12 major ports and 111 rivers, the government has decided to form SPVs and has also cleared Rs.2,000 crore to make water transport operational in 10 of the total targeted rivers this year, transport minister Nitin Gadkari said. He added that in this connection, the government has already given orders to major ports including Kandla, Mumbai, JNPT, Marmugao, New Mangalore, Cochin, Chennai, Ennore, V O Chidambarnar, Visakhapatnam, Paradip, and Kolkata (including Haldia), which handle approximately 61% of the country's total cargo traffic. This is not only a green mode of transport but has the potential to establish an optimal modal mix and reduce logistic cost. In the meantime, as per feasibility reports of the new National Waterways (NWs) completed so far, 36 NWs have been found technically viable for development. The developmental activities have been initiated in river stretches including Barak, Gandak, Cumberjua, Mandovi, Zuari, Alappuzha, Rupnarayan and Sundarbans and that the detailed project reports of another 22 rivers have been finalized, while six are in final stages of implementation, Gadkari added.
