Inland waterways can be transportation game-changer, says Gadkari

Government is setting up 30 water ports on the Ganga as inland waterways will be a "game- changer" for increasing exports and reducing cost of goods as well as passenger traffic, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said today.

"National highway is very important. But waterways are most important. In China 47 per cent of goods and passenger traffic is on water. In Korea and Japan, 43 and 44 per cent of goods and passenger traffic is on water. In European countries... 40 per cent of goods and passenger traffic is on water. In India, it is only 3.5 per cent," he said.

The cost of travelling by water is substantially less compared to travelling by road or train, said the Minister of Road Transport and Highways.

"Going by road, the cost for example is Rs 1.50 (per km); by railway, it is one rupee and going by water, it is only 25 paise... We have already started the work on Ganga, from Varanasi to Haldia... We are making 30 water ports," he said.

Waterways, with use of LNG as fuel, would reduce logistics cost, said Gadkari, who also holds the Shipping Ministry portfolio.

"I feel this a game-changer. We can increase our exports, we can reduce the production cost because logistic cost will be less.... Our vision is to use LNG as fuel," he said.

Gadkari was speaking after laying the foundation stone for a crucial fly-over near Goddess Durga temple here.

Observing that a survey is going on to start waterways in the Buckingham canal involving Krishna and Godavari rivers in Andhra Pradesh, he said the Centre is ready to help the state in making the project possible before the end of next December.
Gadkari said the government is in the process of drafting a new Motor Vehicles Act and it would also like to establish driving training institutes across the country.

The new law would bring about a revolution, he said, adding that computerised tests will be introduced at the proposed driving training institutes.

Every year there are around five lakh accidents in the country and nearly three lakh people lose their limbs while 1.15 lakh people die, the minister noted.

"30 per cent driving licences in the country are bogus. In India, you easily get a driving licence. By (setting up) this institute, we will train people; we have a shortage of 22 per cent of drivers," Gadkari said.

These driving training centres which will also give fitness and pollution certificates are proposed to be set up through the PPP mode in every Assembly constituency, he said.

This will create five lakh jobs, the minister said, expressing hope that with these changes the things can improve.