Centre set to revive Buckingham Canal

The Union government is mulling declaring the Buckingham Canal a national inland waterway and investing Rs 651 crore to revive it and make it navigable again.

The proposal will be placed before Parliament shortly by the Union ministry for shipping, road transport and highways.

"The government of India is ready to take the revival of the Buckingham Canal proposal to the cabinet. The canal will be revived from Kakinada to Marakkanam and be declared as a national waterway," T R Baalu, Union minister for shipping, road transport and highways, told mediapersons at the Ennore port.

The proposal is based on a study conducted by the Rail India Technical and Economic Services (RITES), which states that the canal will carry 6.42 million tonnes by 2011-12. The study envisages the setting up of terminals and developing barges so that private companies could hire or buy them to transport goods.

Addressing development plans of ports, Baalu said that he has instructed all port chairmen to go in for expansion. The Ennore port will add liquid, container, coal and iron ore terminals soon. It would also set up a terminal for liquefied natural gas along with IOC shortly.