India has set ambitious targets in terms of cargo handling and passenger capacity on rivers as it seeks to outmatch inland waterway connectivity in Europe and the United States in coming years.
With greater focus on developing river connectivity, India could have rivaled Europe, Sarbananda Sonowal, Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, told the second edition of the Inland Waterways Development Council (IWDC) meeting at Kaziranga National Park, Assam, on Friday, also mentioning the river connectivity network in the US.
Noting ongoing efforts to unlock India's full potential, he emphasised that the country is now poised to demonstrate its capabilities to the world.
Sonowal highlighted that under Prime Minister Modi's leadership, India has made significant strides in the sector in the last 10 years.
Sonowal said that India has set a target to boosting the passenger capacity on the cruise network to 5 million by 2047.
Improving the cargo handling capacity across all marine networks is crucial in India's journey to become a
developed nation by 2047, Sonowal stressed.
Highlighting the achievements in the last 10 years, Sonowal stated that the number of National Waterways in India had increased from just 5 to 111 at present. Further, he underscored that the total volume of cargo transported had surged from 18.07 MMTPA in 2013-14 to 132.89 MMTPA in 2023-24. Nearly $5.8 billion had been earmarked for boosting India's river infrastructure in the next five years, Sonowal asserted.
He emphasised that river transportation, being 40% cheaper than rail, provides a cost-effective solution for moving goods while easing the burden on both railway and road networks.
On Monday, the first vessel MV Trishul carrying 1500 tonnes of cement from GR (Garden Reach) Jetty terminal in Kolkata to Pandu, Guwahati, via
IBPR successfully reached its location on the National Waterway 2. Two more vessels, carrying 1000 tonnes of gypsum from Kolkata to Patna and 200 tonnes of coal from Kolkata to Varanasi, also concluded their first runs.
At the meeting, Sonowal also inaugurated the Quick Pontoon Opening Mechanism at two locations, the National River Traffic and Navigation System Guidelines and Central Database Portal for registration of vessel/crew.