India eyes Rs 35,000 cr investment to develop national waterways for cargo, passenger movement

New Delhi, Jan 13 (KNN) With the aim to improve the navigable capacity of Indian rivers and create a network of waterways in the country, India is eyeing an investment of Rs 35,000 crore by 2047, Sanjay Bandopadhyaya, chairman of the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), told ET.

The world’s longest river cruise that was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi will cover a distance of more than 3,200 km across NW1 (Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly), Indo-Bangladesh Protocol (IBP) Route 1 and NW2 (Brahmaputra). “This reinforces the resolve that this route is ready for movement of cargo and passenger services," Bandopadhyay said.

"The government is planning to have around 150 vessels conducting such river tours over 80 circuits. This will help to entail an estimated investment of Rs 35,000 crore by 2047," he added.

The primary aim is to use the capital expenditure for developing waterways and jetties to make the rivers more navigable for larger vessels.

The newly inaugurated cruise is the first to connect Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Assam. It begins from Varanasi (UP) and concludes in Dibrugarh (Assam).

The IWAI chairman pointed out that the private sector will be encouraged to make this investment as there is significant visibility for recovering the expenditure.

Speaking about the way ahead, he said more such services are going to begin with the enhancement of river cruise in India's southern backwaters on the cards.

According to the shipping ministry, four river cruise vessels are operational in NW2. River cruises are also operating in limited capacity in Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat, West Bengal, and Odisha.  (KNN Bureau)