The economic benefits announced by the Prime Minister in connecting Ghogha with Dahej is just a small fraction compared to the benefits we could reap in connecting the whole length of Indian peninsula, both the west and the east coast of India. The concept was first mooted in an article by this author in The Pioneer on March 29, 2012. This project could be part of the Rs 7-lakh crore Bharatmala project.
The nature has been kind to us. We must take best advantage of its gift. India is the biggest peninsula in the world. Our geographical features must be put to best use. Introduce Ro-Ro ferries along the coasts of the country for transportation of cargo and passengers wherever feasible. With steep continental shelves; this operation can be a real success story in future to connect even smaller ports along the west and the east coasts of India.
Nevertheless, it is an excellent beginning to connect Ghogha with Dahej, reducing the 360-km distance to 31 km and the travel time from eight hours to one hour. Imagine the positive impact that would follow suit. With the ongoing economic development, if we are able to introduce Ro-Ro (Roll on, Roll off) ferries along the Indian coast, besides several other benefits, the country would gain saving on the diesel expenses by about 50% and the foreign exchange involved thereof.
People are protesting today on price raise, GST, the raising trends of NPA, the growing sickness in the MSME sector, farmer suicides, poverty, etc. Our biggest expenditure today is on consumption of oil which is also a drain on our foreign exchange. Imagine if we are able to save about 25% of our oil bill, it would be like dream come true. India could be superrich and all aforesaid problems would vanish.
There is no reason why a truck must carry cargo from Kanyakumari to Kolkata or to Gujarat when these areas can be well-connected through “Truck Ferries”. In most developed countries, coastal sea links are connected and cargo is moved by containers. In our country, if we are not in a position to containerise the cargo movement fully now, we can very well adopt a Truck Ferry concept to connect the existing ports of the country today.
A big Truck Ferry is one where a loaded truck can drive into the ferry, switch off the engine and the driver can either rest in the vessel or join in his destination port. Thousands of loaded trucks in a similar manner can be berthed on many decks of the vessel. Such trucks can, say, start from Tuticorin, touch Chennai, Vizag, Paradip and, finally, Haldia to cover the east coast. Similarly, in the west coast, it can start from Cochin, Mangalore, Goa, Mumbai and then to different ports of Gujarat.
Say, a truck destined for Pune from Cochin can cover through the sea route till Mumbai; and in Mumbai, the driver can restart it and drive down to Pune. Similarly, a truck destined for Nalco in Angul, Odisha from Chennai can cover through sea route to Paradip. At Paradip, the vehicle can just drive out of the vessel with its own engine and reach Angul by road.
The advantages are as follows:
(a) For running of Truck Ferries, heavy oil is used which is far cheaper than diesel being used in the trucks and trailers. The fuel cost per km per tonne of cargo through ferry route should be far cheaper than the truck route by road.
Assuming that about 50% of the oil bill of the country is on account of diesel and lubricants used in the trucks and trailers across the country, the balance 50% oil bill is on account of the automobile and domestic sectors. With introduction of Ro-Ro ferries, the oil bill of the truck or trailer which is about 50% of the total oil bill of the country can be reduced by around 50%. Hence, an overall saving of oil bill by about 25% can be achieved.
(b) The main highways without long-route trucks would be comparatively free for cars and smaller vehicles which can move faster and the efficiency of the country as a whole will improve.
© There would be less traffic jam, less accidents, less pollution, less corruption in the toll gates, less time for the cargo to reach destination, bringing up productivity of the nation as a whole.
This idea is a broad prospective. A committee must be set up for in-depth studies and be implemented as soon as possible. The time is appropriate and this could be part of the Bharatmala project. It can bring in great relief in pricing for the common mass who are today in a desperate state trying to meet cost, besides the MSME and the agri sectors would also derive direct cost benefits. What more! “India is already a rich country, but with unequal distribution of wealth between rich and poor. Now, the effort to mitigate the gap between the rich and the poor is our biggest challenge.
This can be resolved best when the diesel price is slashed; the farming, fishing and transport sectors directly benefit, besides millions of families using diesel in their automobiles. The suggestions, if implemented well and in time, could strengthen the economy, revive the ailing the MSME and agri sectors and the common mass would also spend less, resulting in a happy and prosperous society.
(The writer is working chairperson, EFCAI, former chairman, Odisha Assembly of Small and Medium Enterprise. Efcai12@gmail.com)