Govt looks to make water transportation competitive

Aiming to boost the share of water transport to 10 per cent by 2020, the government today said it will discuss with stakeholders tomorrow about removing all impediments in promoting cargo transportation through coastal shipping and waterways.
The shipping ministry is organising a workshop in this regard to discuss ways and means to promote water transportation and make it competitive to roads and railways transportation, an official release said.
The government will take views of logistics firms, freight forwarders and other stakeholders on modal shift of cargo transportation to coastal shipping and waterways, and to remove impediments and make water transportation competitive, it said.

The outcome of the workshop would pave way for finalising the operationalisation of certain initiatives already taken by the government, it said.
The government said it is targeting to increase the share waterways transportation mode from the present level of seven per cent to 10 per cent by 2020.
To give thrust to the transportation of automobile cargo through waterways, the government said it has relaxed cabotage for Roll-on-Roll-off vessels and introduced wharfage charges on per unit basis instead of ad-volarem basis for major ports.

Tariff has also been is prescribed at concessional rates for Roll-on-Roll-off (RoRo) vessels on coastal voyage for transporting cars from one Indian port to another Indian Port.

The government said it has taken several measures to optimise utilisation of waterways as a transportation mode including simplification of customs procedures, declaring the inland vessel limits for facilitating coastal trade operations among others.
The waterways mode of transportation is fuel-efficient, environment-friendly, and capable of easing traffic congestion on roads and railways thus preventing loss of human lives due to accidents, it added.