Tenders for two waterways to be floated by October

Mumbai: The National Waterway (NW) project for ferrying cargo and passengers, will begin in two rivers from the state in the next few years. The tenders for the project will be floated by the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) by October. The rivers chosen for the NW include Amba (NW-10) and Dhabhol Creek-Ulhas river (NW-28).

The concept of a NW was re-introduced when the Parliament enacted the National Waterways Act in April 2016 for developing the existing five NWs. A decision was also made last year to make available 106 new NWs across the country to promote commute through waterways.

The shipping ministry has a target to start work on 24 NWs in the next three years. The idea is being promoted considering the increasing congestion on roads and railways which is a source of inconvenience. Waterways will be utilized to ferry transport goods and passengers.  

The state rivers’ Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the waterways has been acquired from the consultants appointed by IWAI, said Pravin Pandey, Vice Chairman of IWAI. “The DPRs are ready for the project that is going to be undertaken in Maharashtra. The tendering process for the same should begin by October ,” he said.

Meanwhile, development works on seven NWs out of 106, will commence from November, confirmed Mr Pandey. This includes, the river Mandovi (NW 68), Zuari (NW 111), Cumberjua (NW 27)—all three in Goa;  the rivers Gandak (NW-37) in Bihar, Rupnarayan (NW-86) in West Bengal,  Alappuzha-Kottayam-Athirampuzha Canal (NW-9) in Kerala and Barak (NW16) in Assam.

The cost of the project is Rs 5,369 crore, of which work of Rs 2,000 crore is already underway, confirmed IWAI. It is being partly funded by the World Bank, which is also providing technical expertise. “Around Rs 1,700 crore is our targeted expenditure. We are spending only 5 per cent for land reclamation and rehabilition,” he said.

Some facts on NATL waterway

The rivers chosen for the national waterway (NW) are the Amba, NW-10, and Dhabol Creek-Ulhas River, NW-28.   The tenders for the projects will be floated by the IWAI by Oct. The shipping ministry has targetted work on 24 NWs in the next three years. The idea is to boost transport and ease congestion on roads and railways for goods and people.