According to the answer given to Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) no.20 on Jal Vikas Marg Project, the basic infrastructure and other facilities required to make waterways commercially viable mode of transportation includes in addition to other facilities, the construction of terminals/ports/jetties for berthing of vessels, loading/unloading of cargo, warehouses/storage places, boarding and lodging facilities, etc, and providing connectivity to the terminals with rail and road networks. The purpose for jetties and other supporting transportation connectivity rail and road networks to develop National Waterways is clear from the answer given to the above referred FAQ. These jetties are not for the locals’ needs. Further, the other ancillary interventions planned to make the Jal Vikas Marg Project successful are in the answer to FAQ no.35. According to the Authorities, movement of larger quantities of goods and passengers will necessitate other infrastructural development, such as construction of multimodal and intermodal terminals with rail and road connectivity along with state-of-the-art loading and unloading facilities, provision of warehouses, boarding and lodging facilities, provision of jetties/Ro-Ro crossings.
The above referred FAQ highlights the need for commercial complexes, boarding and lodging facilities with road & rail connectivity for the Waterways development plans.The plans with rail & road connectivity are not for reducing traffic congestion but for promoting hotels near the banks of the rivers. Can we allow this to happen?
The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) has invited Expression of Interest (EOI) for development of National Waterways (NWs) through private sector participation/public private partnership from Indian and overseas organisations to develop waterways for navigation with the necessary infrastructure such as fairway, navigational aids and terminals. The Mandovi Waterway (NW68), the Mapusa waterway (NW 71) & Zuari Waterway (NW 111) are included in the list of National Waterways (NW) planned to be developed in Phase I.
The overflow of Ulhas River caused flooding of Ambernath-Badlapur railway section near Badlapur in Thane recently. This area is included in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. More than 1000 passengers had to be evacuated from the stranded Mahalaxmi Express Train. In the year 2015, the River Regulation Zone (RRZ) policy was scrapped here as it hampered industrial expansion. Under any RRZ policy, an area on either side of the river is required to be marked as “no development zone” based on the high flood line.
Due to the change in the RRZ in 2015, many new projects were allowed close to the Ulhas river banks. Allowing construction in the flood plains caused this man-made disaster. No RRZ has been demarcated for rivers in Goa. Therefore, there is a need to scrap national waterways jetties for hotels and commercial complexes to prevent such man-made disasters in Goa. Why are the land-use maps showing proposed development of the Goa tourism master plan kept hidden?
