A Bill seeking to develop 101 waterways across the country was introduced in the lok Sabha on Tuesday. The draft National Waterways Bill, 2015, introduced by Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari, is aimed at boosting internal trade by providing a cheaper mode of transport and reducing traffic burden on roads.
The 101 new waterways will be in addition to the five existing National Waterways. The Bill is aimed at integrated development of inland waterways throughout the country since the waterways, which are both cost-effective and environment-friendly, when compared to road and rail sectors are lagging behind.
He maintained that the Government is aiming to reduce traffic burden from roads and promote water transportation where the cost is barely 50 paise a km in comparison to Rs1 by rail and Rs1.5 a km by road.
Inland waterways, comprising rivers, lakes, canals, creeks and backwaters, extend about 14,500 km across the country. However, potential of this mode of transport has not been fully exploited so far.