Much headway in National Waterway plans

Kochi: Several issues related to the development of National Waterway No III, including a proposal by ICICI-Kinfra (I-Kin), for setting up cargo terminals along the waterway figured prominently at a meeting convened here by union secretary for shipping M P Pinto and Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) chairman Rajeeva Sreevastava.

Principal secretary to the Kerala government for coastal shipping K J Mathew, Cochin Port Trust chairman Jacob Thomas, development commissioner of Kochi Special Economic Zone Paul Antony, and officials of I-Kin, Fertilisers and Chemicals Travancore and National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) were among those who participated in the meeting.

The I-Kin proposal has come in response to IWAI plans to set up 11 terminals along the 168-km stretch of the waterway between Kottappuram and Kollam. Terminals for facilitating loading and unloading cargo or wharf for berthing cargo vessels are planned at Kottappuram, Aluva, Ernakulam-Maradu, Ernakulam-CEPZ, Vaikom, Cherthala, Alappuzha, Thrikkunnapuzha, Kayamkulam, Chavara and Kollam.

It is learnt that IWAI is in a frame of mind to let private companies participate in the development of the waterway in view of its importance for cargo movement throughout India. Sources say the meeting reviewed the ground situation on National Waterway III. It was used by Pinto to invite suggestions and to listen to the problems nagging the waterway users.

As expected, the major problem on the waterway is the lack of draft along some stretches of the waterway that prevented the full utilisation of the water channel. Sources indicate that the stretch between Alappuzha and Kollam often lacked the promised depth of 2.2 metres. This had prevented the barge operators from exploiting the channel.

Pinto is understood to have assured barge-owners that dredging work on the channel, which has been hanging fire for a long time, will be resumed at the earliest. It was made clear that it was not the funds problem that was holding up the dredging works.

Mathew suggested that the stretch of the waterway between Kollam and Kovalam could be made navigable at the earliest given its potential for tourism promotion. It was evident at the meeting that deepening of the National Waterway channel and linking the channel to the feeder canals as well as to the road network in Kerala are the top priorities for the state.

Issues related to the new move to provide subsidy for inland waterway vessels too figured prominently at the meeting. The central government has announced 30-per cent subsidy for inland waterway vessel building.

The possibilities of the misuse of the subsidy scheme as standard rates for works in the shipping industry are virtually absent. The need for putting in place norms for operation of the barges also came up for discussions at the meeting.

Issues that were peculiar to Kerala like the maintenance of the embankments, which in most cases rested with private parties, as well as the problems that would be faced by fishermen along the waterway were also discussed. One of the other issues that came up for discussions related to the transport of naphtha from Kochi to Kayamkulam for the NTPC power generation facility.

The need for proper maintenance of the Champakkara canal, the busiest waterway in the state, was stressed by its users. The sources say the depth of the channel at places like Thycoodam and Thevara junctions is not enough and that often the barges run aground.