After the electric vehicles on roads, electric boats may hit Indian waterways.
Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) has proposed to introduce hybrid electric boats in five locations including on the Brahmaputra in Guwahati and Dibrugarh in Assam to provide a green and cheaper mode of transport to commuters in urban centres. Varanasi, Kolkata and Patna (Ganga) are the three other locations where the IWAI wants to introduce the electric boats manufactured by Cochin Shipyards Limited. The boats can carry 100 passengers.
"The inland waterways can become a viable medium for Intra-city commute, short-distance passenger transport needs. By means of ferries, Ro-pax vessels and high-speed launches, state governments and urban local bodies can offer seamless, integrated transport services to urban and sub-urban populations and ease the stress and congestion of daily commute. The Kochi Metro Rail Ltd has procured 23 hybrid electric boats manufactured by Cochin Shipyard Limited. IWAI has proposed similar services for Varanasi, Kolkata, Patna and Guwahati, Dibrugarh. The Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs has recommended this model. Therefore, the state governments have been requested to adopt the model for multi-modal green and cheaper mode of transport, said a statement issued by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways. IWAI is an agency under the ministry.
The proposal was made during a meeting of the National Sagarmala Apex Committee (NSAC) on May 6 at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi, chaired by Sarbananda Sonowal, the union minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways and Ayush. Sonowal hails from Assam.
Sagarmala is a national programme aimed at accelerating economic development and seeks to reduce logistics costs for both domestic and EXIM cargo with optimal infrastructure investment.
The statement said inland water transport can also be an effective mode for enabling the movement of bulk commodities in an eco-friendly and economical way. IWAI, earlier this year, carried out a successful pilot run of 200 tonnes of food grains between Patna and Guwahati and 2,000 tonnes of steel between Haldia and Guwahati through the Ganga, Hooghly, Meghna, Brahmaputra rivers in India and Bangladesh. "This movement, across international waters highlights the potential of the mode. This model can be replicated and upscaled for other bulk commodities including coal, LPG, fertiliser containers, integrating it with the coastal shipping. The North-Eastern states can benefit by reduced distance and congestion-free transport," it said.