Union Minister for Roads, Transport, Highways and Shipping, Nitin Gadkari, has urged State governments to set up joint venture companies with the Centre for development of inland waterways.

According to him, the States will provide 26 per cent equity; while the remaining 74 per cent will be the Centre’s stake in these ventures.

“I have asked the State governments to come ahead and form inland waterways corporations for development of the system. These joint ventures will be with the Centre,” Gadkari said during a seminar organised by the MCC Chamber of Commerce and Industry, yesterday evening.

He also called for private investments to develop inland waterways.

World Bank loan

The Centre, according to Gadkari, has also taken a “serious view” on the development of inland waterways. Declaration of 101 National Waterways (NW) is awaiting the final nod. While the Cabinet has given its approval, the same is expected to come up in the monsoon session of Parliament.

Currently, the Centre is developing the National Waterways 1 between Haldia and Allahadbad. The World Bank has given India a loan of ₹4,200 crore to improve the waterways infrastructure.

Multi-modal ports

Three multi-modal ports — at Haldia (West Bengal), Sahibganj (Jharkhand) and Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) — will also be developed - to aid transportation of goods by linking them with rail and road network - as a part of the inland waterways project.

The Centre, he said, was also in the process of preparing its ship-building and ship-breaking policies.

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