Excelsior Correspondent
NEW DELHI, Aug 13: In response to a question in the Rajya Sabha today, Union DoNER Minister Dr Jitendra Singh disclosed the Government plans to promote waterway transport in Northeast and informed that river Brahmaputra waterway from Dhubri to Sadiya measuring about 891 kms. has been declared as National Waterway No. 2. The “Inland Waterways Authority of India” (IWAI) is developing and maintaining this waterway for shipping and navigation purposes, and connects the North-Eastern region with the Kolkata Port, he said.
Dr Jitendra Singh stated that hilly terrain and topographical constraints of North-Eastern region pose a challenge to transport and telecommunication links within the region as well as with the rest of the country. The road and rail network are also not fully up to the mark and therefore, waterways offer alternative means of transport and at the same time, are also a cheaper option, in addition to causing lesser pollution compared to motor vehicle or train engine. With this in mind, the Dhubri-Sadiya National Waterway No.2 has been developed and maintained by the government with the necessary infrastructure to carry out both ferry as well as cargo transport, he added.
Dr. Jitendra Singh also informed that a legislative Bill declaring 101 additional waterways across the country was placed in the Lok Sabha during the budget session and subsequently, the Bill was referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee. When this Bill comes through, he disclosed, out of the 101 waterways to be approved, 16 will be meant for Northeast and out of these 16, 13 will be for the State of Assam while one each will be for Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Nagaland.
Simultaneously, to improve the telecommunication system in the region, Dr. Jitendra Singh informed that the government has recently approved a comprehensive telecom plan for North-Eastern region at a cost of Rs.5,336.18 crore. This plan will be funded by the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOB) and will ensure total coverage of the region with improved reliability of telecom network, he added.
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