The 10-member Mohandas Pai committee set up to recommend e-governance initiatives in the shipping and road transport sectors is expected to give its “preliminary” report in a month, Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Shipping, Road Transport and Highways has said.
“We are looking to convert e-governance into good governance. For that we are looking for e-solutions, e-recommendations and we have assigned the job to Mohandas Pai”, Gadkari told reporters on the sidelines of an Assocham event in the capital on Wednesday.
Effective implementationGadkari said that Mohandas Pai is studying about NHAI, the new corporation for north-east, Ministry for Surface Transport, Shipping and Ports and is expected to make recommendations that “will make our work more effective.”
The Minister also expressed hope that the Bill to convert 101 important rivers to inland waterways would be passed in the current session of Parliament. Government is making efforts to increase draft depth to 20 meters by utilising newer technologies as it will help in promoting economic viability at ports, he said.
The Minister stressed on the need to design ships with greater tonnage that can be handled at ports with lower draft as well and promoting use of LNG based engines to bring down the pollution levels at India’s ports.
He also said that the private sector should take ports and shipping sector seriously.
“There is much more economic viability, profit, internal rate of return and capital cost is much less in inland waterways and shipping and the industry should take this sector seriously.”
“In wake of the global competition, we are working to enhance our efficiency to provide competitive rates that are offered in Colombo or China and other countries.”
Gadkari called for private sector's participation for setting up dry ports at various states including Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan.