To ensure optimum utilisation of its waterways, the Government is aiming at developing five non-functioning ports by the year end. The Centre plans to pump Rs150 crore into revamping and utilising these unused ports. In tune with the Modi-Government’s thrust on boosting waterways, the Shipping Ministry is ready with a plan to revive at least 100 nonfunctioning ports, scattered along India’s 7,000-kms coastline.
“The problems these ports face are lack of dredging facilities. At least 70 per cent of these ports don’t even have terminals,” said an official from the Ministry of Shipping. “The Ministry is working with the Dredging Corporation of India with the States to initiate the process of clearing the debris and make the ports navigable,” he said.
At the moment, 12 major ports — Mumbai, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust, Kolkata (with Haldia), Chennai, Visakhapatanam, Cochin, Paradip, New Mangalore, Marmagao, Ennore, Tuticorin and Kandla — handle approximately 61 per cent of the country’s total cargo traffic. Although, there are about 200 non-major ports, which are not being optimally used.
India has 210 ports in all, of which only 35-40 per cent are operational. According to the statistics with the Ministry, only seven per cent of India’s total domestic cargo is ferried using coastal shipping despite a robust coastline of over 7,000 km.
In comparison, coastal shipping accounts for 20 per cent of domestic cargo in China and 42 per cent in Japan. The Ministry of Shipping has also invited bids from private consultants to enhance the ports and boost shipping. “By the year end, we hope to get at least five of these dead ports working. We have decided to provide Rs150 crores towards the project, in the first phase,” said the official.
The Ministry of Shipping has also written to the State Governments to work on improving road connectivity from ports to inland. In the recent past, Minister of Shipping Nitin Gadkari has repeatedly announced his intentions of boosting India’s waterways and enhancing its capacities citing environmental and cost benefits.
In the last six months, the Centre has also taken several bold initiatives to further coastal shipping and increase cargo load on water. The Government is aiming to boost it by atleast four times, taking it to 2,500 million tonnes by 2020.