Three more waterways likely to get national status

The shipping ministry is planning to increase the number of national waterways from three to six.

However, Budgetary support for inland water transport continues to be weak as ever, says a report submitted by a parliamentary committee.

One of the new waterways is expected to come up between Kakinada and Pondicherry and another on the Barak river in Manipur. The third waterway will be on Brahmani in Orissa.

The proposal awaits Cabinet clearance. The three existing national waterways are situated on the Ganga, Brahmaputra and on the west coast canal in Kerala.

According to a report of the parliamentary committee on tourism, transport and culture, a draft Cabinet note has been circulated among the ministries concerned for comments.

The committee has also pointed out that the government is giving a step-motherly treatment to the inland water transport sector in terms of funding.

A report prepared by the committee says that although the department was allocated Rs 150 crore in the 2005-06 Budget, the figure was reduced to Rs 101.25 crore when the revised estimates were taken. Only Rs 47.87 crore had been released up to February 2006.

"The committee observes that although the department of shipping is committed to step up the share of inland water transport in the country's total trade, the sector remains under-developed at present for want of requisite infrastructure and therefore is not viable for commercial operations," the report stated.

The committee, headed by Sitaram Yechury, had asked the shipping ministry as to why industrialists had not taken to inland water transport despite the number of incentives that were provided to them.