Gadkari for more use of inland waterways

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari today proposed "optimising" the use of inland waterways through new ventures like sea planes and amphibious buses to bring down the dependability and burden on road transport.
"We should allow new ventures like sea planes, amphibious buses and even jetties by private hotels provided they will allow it to be used for public," the Highways and Road and Shipping Minister said after laying the foundation stone for a new parallel bridge over Zuari river near here.
He said the Union ministry will subsidise the creation of jetties so that the inland waterways can be used to optimum level.

"We can even introduce electric buses near airports which will take the tourists to port and through ship they can go to their hotels. This will be a tourist attraction," he said.
He said the government will support fishermen to fish outside the traditional limit of 12 nautical miles, where the fish catch is more.
"The jurisdiction of state is within 12 nautical miles where there is no fish and outside that limit the fishing is not happening. We have to bridge this disparity," the minister said.

Gadkari said the government can purchase big trawlers and hand them over to fishermen cooperative societies.

Gadkari said his Ministry has decided to benchmark
performance of major ports to the best in global ports and learn from international best practices.
Citing example of Haldia Port, he said it uses bio-diesel, while ports in Tuticorn, Ennore and Chenanai use solar and wind power which reduces logistics cost.
"As a result of all our efforts, I am happy to tell you that all ports and companies under Shipping Ministry are now in profits (net profit to be Rs 3,000 crore).
Urging cooperation from neighbouring countries, he said India believed in neighbourhood and the Indian Ocean littoral to be partners in its growth story to fuel economic growth and bring sustainability to the IOR.

"Therefore, beyond the Sagarmala, we are also committed to building infrastructure in other littoral countries to create onward connectivity from India. We have established a SPV to take up maritime projects overseas.
"We have also signed a coastal shipping agreement with Bangladesh and are developing the Chahbahar port in Iran, which would act as the gateway to the world not only for Afghanistan but also for the Central Asian Republics," the minister said.
India is currently going through a phase of rapid transformation under PM Modi's leadership and it is an exciting time to partner with it, he said.
Make in India, Smart Cities, Clean India, Skill India- these are all initiatives that can resonate and be replicated to varying degrees in littoral countries.

He said India is offering its regional satellite navigation system NavIC to neighbours, sharing capacity enhancement in digital space, linking centres of higher education across the SAARC countries and meeting growing demands for quality healthcare from surrounding regions.
The Minister said, "None of us can grow in isolation, and building synergies has always been a win-win situation for all partners. Your development priorities will guide our engagement; not our perception of your needs."
Stressing that Indian Ocean has always been about diversity and pluralism, different cultures and civilisations, and political and economic systems, he said India's project 'Mausam' is aimed at revisiting these ancient maritime routes and cultural links with other countries in the region.

"Indian Ocean is critical to the future of the world. Its waters touch the shores of over 40 countries and nearly 40 per cent of the world population. Two-thirds of the world's oil shipments and one-third of the bulk cargo cross the Indian Ocean," he said adding "Our future cannot be a zerosum game. IOR is our common maritime home and our vision for this region is best summarized in the Prime-Minister's phrase of SAGAR- Security and Growth for All in the Region."
He said India is India is committed to use its capabilities and central location in the region to ensure a safe, secure and stable Indian Ocean Region that takes all to the shore of prosperity.