Blitz Bureau
A cargo promotion scheme, ‘Jalvahak’, for boosting cargo movement on three national waterways was unveiled by Union Minister of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal recently.
It is aimed at incentivising the movement of long-haul cargo via national waterways on the Ganga, Brahmaputra, and Barak rivers. The cargo promotion scheme provides a direct incentive to the cargo owners to transport their goods via inland waterways for a distance of more than 300 km.
Sonowal also flagged off three cargo ships with two dumb barges from the GR Jetty in Kolkata. It marks the beginning of the fixed scheduled service of cargo vessels from Haldia for National Waterways (NW) 1 and 2.
Speaking on the occasion, the minister said the Government has made a concerted effort to realise the tremendous potential of India’s rich network of inland waterways. He added that with its advantage of being an economical, ecologically sound, and efficient mode of transportation, the Government wants to boost waterways cargo movement. He said it will also decongest the railways and roadways.
India has an extensive network of inland waterways comprising rivers, canals, backwaters, and creeks. Of the total navigable length of 20,236 km, 17,980 km consists of rivers, and 2,256 km is made up of canals, both suitable for the mechanised craft.
