NEW DELHI: In a first of its kind move, the shipping and waterways ministry on Sunday started the ‘scheduled service’ of cargo vessels from Kolkata to Patna, Varanasi and Pandu (in Assam), and also launched ‘Jalvahak’, an incentive scheme for movement of long haul cargo via Ganga, Brahmaputra and Barak.
Shipping ministry officials said the scheduled service via three major rivers or National Waterways will demonstrate readiness of waterways for smooth, efficient, sustainable and economical transportation. Flagging off voyage of cargo ships and barges Union shipping minister Sarbananda Sonowal said the advantage of moving cargo through waterways being an economical, ecologically sound and efficient mode of transportation, govt wants to boost freight transportation via waterways, to decongest the railways and roadways.
He said the Jalvahak scheme incentivises long haul cargo on NW1 (Ganga), NW2 (Bramhaputra) and NW16 (Barak), and provides an opportunity for the trade interests to explore movement of cargo via waterways with positive economic value proposition.
Under the scheme, cargo owners transporting goods over distances exceeding 300 km via waterways will receive up to 35% reimbursement on operating costs. The scheme will be for three years and is designed to optimise supply chains for major shipping companies, freight forwarders, and trade bodies. The cargo promotion scheme is projected to facilitate a modal shift of 800 million tonne-kilometres with an estimated investment of Rs 95.4 crore by 2027, a statement said.
“The regular scheduled freight service, which began from Kolkata, will ensure that the cargo is transported and delivered within a stipulated time frame,” Sonowal said. This marks the beginning of fixed scheduled service of cargo vessels from Haldia for NW 1 and NW 2. The “fixed day scheduled sailing service” will ply vessels on Kolkata-Patna-Varanasi-Patna- Kolkata stretch of NW 1 and between Kolkata and Pandu in Guwahati on NW 2 via Indo Bangladesh Protocol Route (IBPR).
