FERRY VESSELS OPERATIONS IN RIVER YAMUNA LIKELY FROM DECEMBER 2016: IWAI

Ferry vessels operations into the 16 km length of river Yamuna from Delhi   could be a reality from December 2016 as Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) has submitted all necessary details to National Green Tribunal (NGT) for obtaining its green signal for the job, disclosed its Chairman, Mr. Amitabh Verma.

Speaking at Infrastructure Conclave-2016-Accelerating Growth with Inclusion & Equity organized by the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry here today, Mr. Verma also announced that tenders for seven waterways would be floated in next 3-4 months. 

The government, according to Mr. Verma has already notified 106 inland waterways  out of which 30 are highly doable among which tender for one such inland waterways has already been floated and the tender for remaining 22 waterways would follow in due course.

Mr. Verma also announced that new Inland Vessel Act is likely to be passed in the forthcoming winter session of the Parliament, replacing it with the prototype Vessel Act of 1917 as also a new legislation relating to dredging would come about in the same session.

Ferry vessels operations in river Yamuna are likely by December 2016 as the IWAI have cleared off the misgivings of NGT and a fresh report to this effect has already been submitted to the tribunal which is likely to be cleared off before the IWAI resumes the ferry vessels operations in December 2016.

Chairman, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), Mr. Raghav Chandra who was also present on the occasion said that in the current fiscal the  NHAI would tender out roads and highways projects measuring 7,000 km at various part of the country.

According to him, the approach of the government towards improving the road and highways connectivity is to bring about efficiency and competitiveness in the Indian economy for which all out efforts are being made with awards of new projects, the focus of which is not to broaden the existing road infrastructure but to develop it in the green field sector also.

Among others who spoke on the occasion consisted of President, PHD Chamber, Dr. Mahesh Gupta, Chairman-Roads, Ports & Other Infrastructure Committee, PHD Chamber, Mr. Ashish Mohan Wig its Secretary General and Director Mr. Saurabh Sanyal and Dr. Ranjeet Mehta.