Development activities on 14 inland waterways have been initiated and altogether 26 such routes have been found to be viable for cargo movement, based on the outcome of techno-economic feasibility and detailed project reports, according to the Economic Survey for 2022-23, tabled by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Parliament on Tuesday.
The total number of notified inland waterways in the country stands at 111.
“Inland water transport holds great untapped potential as a means for the transportation of goods and passengers. India has a large endowment of rivers, canals, and other waterways. The total navigable length of waterways in India is around 14,850 kilometers,” the survey said.
According to the survey, West Bengal and Assam, have the most navigable inland waterways at 4,500 km and 2,000 km, respectively.
As per the Economic Survey, cargo movement on national waterways achieved an all-time high of 108.8 million tons during 2021-22, recording 30.1% growth compared to the previous year.
Recently, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, unveiled a comprehensive package for the development of National Waterway 2 over Brahmaputra and National Waterway 16 over Barak river.
On January 13, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stones and inaugurated inland waterways projects worth more than Rs. 1000 crores, including a multimodal terminal in Haldia.
The inland waterways connection between India and Bangladesh, through the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol or IBP route, remains the most active.
According to the Economic Survey, in order to enhance trade and transit, the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs, has allowed movement of containerised export goods of Bangladesh through India using a combination of riverine and rail routes.
