GUWAHATI: In a move to restore the pre independence days
glory of water transportation in Northeast India, Union Finance minister, P
Chidambaram in his budget 2013-14 has announced the Lakhipur - Bhanga stretch
of river Barak in Assam will soon be declared as the sixth national waterway.
Presently Northeast India faces tremendous problem for
not exploring its waterways. Already the move to link the South East Asian
countries through Northeast India is on. Kaladan multimodal transport project
to upgrade the Sittwe Port connecting Paletwa in Myanmar's Chin State to
Mizoram under way would boost trade and commerce.
The minister said, "Five inland waterways have been
declared as national waterways. I am happy to announce that the Minister of
Water Resources will move a Bill in Parliament to declare the Lakhipur - Bhanga
stretch of river Barak in Assam as the sixth national waterway. Preparatory
work is underway to build a grid connecting waterways, roads and ports. The 12
th Plan has an adequate outlay for capital works, including dredging, on the
national waterways.,"
He elaborated that the objective is to choose barge
operators, through competitive bidding, to transport bulk cargo on the national
waterways. The first transport contract has been awarded in West Bengal from
Haldia to Farakka.
~ TOI