Why IWT suitable for NER? Feasibility of IWT as a transport option can be optimised with the following issues:
Plans and investment for IWT has to be anchored within a multi-modal transport plan. As multi-modal transport planning is yet to take off in NER, IWT's full potential has not been leveraged.
Benefits of IWT in terms of low cost, high volume, low fuel expenditure and shortest land distance between North Eastern Region and rest of the country has to be disseminated amongst policy makers and users.
Undivided Bengal and the North Eastern Region were an integrated economic market prior to Independence where the riverine transport system was intensively used for movement of cargo and passengers. The present challenge is to recreate those routes by combining both investment and multi-modal planning.
IWT has a natural fit with the bulk commodities that the North Eastern Region imports and exports from rest of India – tea, oil, cement and coal are exported. Food-grains, fertilizers, petroleum products are imported. All these commodities being non-perishable and high volume are suitable for transportation by IWT. It would be cheaper than road or rail but slower. Fast transportation is not required for these commodities.
Investment on waterways can provide alternative routes for movement of bulk cargo for Nagaland and Manipur which would be a cheaper option and will not face blockages and similar exigencies.
However, any serious development of IWT requires active and positive participation by Bangladesh. Therefore, IWT arrangements should be devised in such a manner that stakeholders, both in India and Bangladesh, derive value from developing and using IWT.
The Inland Waterways Authority of India is mandated to develop and maintain National Waterways-II on the Brahmaputra between Dhubri and Sadia. Reasonably good terminals are now available in NER. More investment are in the pipeline for NW-II. IWAI is also working to declare Barak river as National Waterways-VI. It is likely to be done in the immediate to near future. There are well-developed terminals in Barak also. Hence, investments to develop infrastructure of IWT on the National Waterways-II and National Waterways-VI (proposed) do not pose any serious bottlenecks.
As IWT has not received its due importance in policy and investments so far (investment wise things look promising for the future), operators with required fleet size of vessels has not emerged either in private or in public sector. This is the major bottleneck in the promotion of IWT. Brahmaputra and Barak rivers have not been fully commercially exploited for transportation purposes. IWAI is not an operator. The public sector, Central Inland Water Transport Corporation Ltd (CIWTC) is sick. The private sector, either in India or in Bangladesh, has not emerged due to various policy reasons. Therefore, the challenge here is to create a policy regime that will promote investment in appropriate fleet of vessels in both public and private sectors.
Optimal development of IWT will happen when there is meeting of purposes among:
IWAI for creation of infrastructure on the waterways
Stakeholders such as the Food Corporation of India and the oil companies, tea industry, cement industry.
Owners of fleet of vessels of the right size
The goodwill of Bangladesh and their participation
Multi-modal transport planning
Optimal use of IWT for transportation of bulk commodities will open up the narrow chicken's neck corridor linking North East to rest of India for transportation of passengers through fast moving rail connections, evacuation of power, telecommunication links, etc.
Tourism is also a potential user of IWT.
Transport of Over Dimensional Cargo (ODC) for hydro power development in the North East essentially requires IWT as there are limitations on hill roads.
