Private sector to be roped in for national waterways

Friday, 01 November 2002, 20:30 IST
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PATNA: The Indian government is planning to rope in the private sector to develop national waterways along rivers across the country for the smooth movement of cargo ships. "We are keen on a joint venture with private companies to develop and improve national waterways," Shipping Minister Ved Prakash Goyal told IANS during a visit here. He said five private companies had submitted proposals for joint venture with the Inland Waterways Authority of India, which falls under the shipping ministry. But he refused to disclose their names. "We are in discussions and naming them before finalising the joint venture may not be in the interest of the proposal," Goyal said. He did not rule out the possibility of inviting multinational companies (MNCs) in the future. Goyal was here to lay the foundation of a permanent river terminal at Gaighat in Patna for facilitating cargo movement on the river Ganges along National Waterway Number One. The Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly river system, which extends from Haldia in West Bengal to Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh, is being developed as National Waterway Number One. Patna has assumed a most significant place in this project, being centrally located in the stretch. The terminal will become operational by 2004 at an estimated cost of 250 million.
Source: IANS
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