Govt keen on using hybrid aeroboats for inland water transport

Hybrid aeroboats that can run on water, marshy land, snow or ice could soon be roped in for inland water transport at Agra, upcoming Kumbha fair at Allahabad and other places, official sources said Monday.

The development comes amid some top Russian companies, under the not-for-profit Skolkovo Foundation, that manufactures these aluminium aeroboats, making presentations before Shipping, Water Resources, Ganga Rejuvenation, River Development and Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari Monday.

"India is keen on trying these soon for propelling the growth of its inland waterways as well as for the upcoming Kumbha (Allahabad)besides in Agra. The company that manufactures these at St Petersburg has been asked to demonstrate these at an early date, possibly along with the inauguration of a multi-modal terminal at Varanasi," an official source told PTI.

The source said that though manufacturing of these boats is done largely in St Petersburg, there is no problem of spares etc as its engine is of Toyota's.

"The company manufactures small boats (hybrid aeroboats) for inland waterways. They have all-terrain boats that can run on water, marshy land with just 10 cm water, snow or ice. The boats run on petrol or electricity, methanol can also be used. The speed of the boats is nearly 170 km per hour - about three times the speed of normal boats," another source said.

The boats are made of aluminium, they take about 15 minutes to assemble, the source said adding the passenger capacity is 11 persons.

They also have bigger boats of 60-person capacity that lift into the air.

"Maximum lift is 3 metres so it is outside the ambit of civil aviation regulations," the source added.

Skolkovo Foundation is the principal agency responsible for the Russian Skolkovo Innovation Centre, a scientific and technological centre for the development and commercialisation of advanced technologies.

It is a non-profit organization founded in 2010 and charged by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev with creating a new science and technology development centre in the Moscow suburb of Skolkovo.