Cargo through inland Waterways

The cargo transported through National Waterways 1, 2, 3 and Indo-Bangladesh Protocol routes during last three years and current financial year upto April 2012 is as under: Year Cargo transported (in lakh metric tonne) 2009 -10 : 45.93 2010-11 : 49.21 2011-12 : 74.46 (Provisional) 2012-13 : 2.47 (Provisional) (For April, 2012 only) Cargoes transported through these waterways include cement, wooden logs, packed and bulk edible oil, POL, stone chips, iron & steel, food grains, coal, plant & machineries, diesel, chemicals, water, lime shell and over dimensional cargoes, etc. IWAI levies waterway usage charges for movement of vessels, vessel related charges for berthing, towage & pilotage, terminal and storage charges for cargo, composite charges for over dimensional cargo movement and miscellaneous charges for cargo handling facilities, bunkering, etc. The total amount collected by way of levies during last three years in National Waterways 1, 2, 3 and Indo-Bangladesh Protocol routes are as under: Year Amount collected 2009-10 : Rs. 71.30 lakh 2010-11 : Rs. 185.87 lakh 2011-12 : Rs. 431.92 lakh (Provisional) 2012-13 : Rs. 9.51 lakh (Provisional) (For April, 2012) The Government is taking steps to develop inland water transport (IWT) mode by declaring potential waterways as National Waterways (NWs) and developing IWT infrastructure thereon. In this process five waterways totaling about 4382 km. have been declared as NWs. Commercially viable stretches such as Kakinada-Puducherry canals, Bhadrachalam-Rajahmundry, Rajahmundry-Eluru on National Waterway 4 have been considered for development under PPP mode in Phase-I. Development of remaining stretches including North-Buckingham canal (between Pedaganjam and Chennai) and South Buckingham canal (between Chennai and Markanam) are to be taken up in Phase-II. The above information was given by the Union Minister of Shipping, Shri G.K. Vasan in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.