 "waterways, ship, ocean, sea, sail")
The Centre is preparing a Rs 12,000-crore inland waterway on the Brahmani river in Odisha to move goods from four key industrial clusters to the ports of Paradip and Dhamra.
Under the proposed plan, the inland waterway will be developed on the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) model, according to a report in The Economic Times (ET).
A senior government official said, "A special purpose vehicle (SPV) between the Coal India Limited (CIL), the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), Paradip Port and the Odisha government will be developing the infrastructure required to operationalise the National Waterway 5 (NW5)."
The official added that the respective company boards have taken an in-principle approval to form the SPV.
"There is also a commitment from the state government to take up the project," he said.
The project will need funding from the central government due to its capital-intensive nature.
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"Investment by the SPV partners will be commensurate with the shareholding pattern of the entity," the official said.
He added that one million tonnes of cargo per annum (mtpa) is moved on the NW5 and is likely to touch 12-14 mtpa by 2030.
According to the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, inland water transport is the "most economical mode of transportation", especially because it can carry bulk cargo.
This mode of transport remains underutilised at a share of 2 per cent in India's modal mix.
According to the Maritime India Vision 2030, the Centre plans to increase the share of inland water transport to 5 per cent.
