August 30, 2008

Indian forms panel to study coal transportation thru waterways

BL reported that India’s Planning Commission has formed a new committee to assess the feasibility of coal transportation through waterways and recommend measures for encouraging coastal power projects based on domestic and imported coal transported through waterways. The committee will submit its report to the Planning Commission by June 2008.

The committee will go into the status of existing waterways, including inland waterways; capacities of loading and unloading facilities, port infrastructure; potential to create additional capacities for coal movement; potential to transport other commodity on return way and recommend ways to avoid cross transportation and multiple handling coal. The committee will also look into integration of coal movement through waterways with existing and proposed rail and road network; techno-economic assessment of alternative modes of coal transportation.

The committee is headed by Mr Kirit Parikh member energy of Planning Commission. Other members in the committee include secretaries from the ministries of coal, power, shipping, and environment and forests; chairman of Central Electricity Authority and member traffic of Railway Board. Representatives from the maritime boards of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Orissa and Gujarat are also in the committee. Ms Mridula Krishna a transport economist & analyst and Mr SS Rangnekar MD of Sical Logistics are also in the committee.

As per report, transport based on inland waterways or inland water transport comprising of rivers, canals, lakes and coastal shipping constitute around 20% of the transport sector in Germany and 32% in Bangladesh but in India, it is only 0.15%.