WAI Meet to Explore Inland Waterway Transport in AP.

For promoting the national inland waterways in South India, the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) will convene a consultation meeting in Vijayawada recently.

Union minister for urban development M Venkaiah Naidu and Union minister of state for road transport and shipping P Radhakrishnan along with the Parliament members of Coastal Andhra will participate in the day-long brainstorming session to explore the opportunities and possibilities of the inland waterway transportation in Andhra Pradesh.

The IWAI is keen on developing the national waterway-4 between Kakinada and Pondicherry running along the Coromandel Coast connecting Kakinada, Vijayawada, Chennai and Pondicherry through the Kakinada, Yeleru, Kommanur and Buckingham canals, which would enable the government to promote the inland waterway transportation.

The IWAI has already established its temporary office at Vijayawada in a building belonging to the irrigation department. People's representatives and officials from the six districts of the state are expected to attend the consultation meeting.

'Inland waterways transport is four times cheaper compared to road transportation. Further, it would also give a major boost to the economy in villages located along the banks of the canals apart from helping the growth of tourism sector,' Visakhapatnam Parliament member K Haribabu told newsmen in Visakhapatnam recently.

The project is estimated to cost about Rs. 2,400 crore. Along with IWAI, the Central Inland Water Transport Corporation (CIWTC) would support the project through transportation of cargo via inland waterways and operation and maintenance of the vessels and waterway terminals.

The Water and Power Consultancy Services (WAPCOS), a consultancy firm, has already conducted a survey to explore the opportunities and divided the NW-4 into four major cargo belts comprising Kakinada Belt, Krishna Belt, South Andhra Pradesh Belt and Chennai Belt. Based on the survey, it was found that about 11 million tonnes of cargo can be transported through NW-4 every year which includes coal, rice, food grains, cement, fertilisers, forest products, salt and other bulk cargo.


THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS