At the ‘Multimodal Transportation Summit’ organized by CII on November 25, 2021, Mr Rajiv Agarwal was one of the key panelists of a plenary session on ‘Growing Role of Inland Waterways in Integrated Transportation Network.’
Fellow dignitaries on the panel included Mr Jayant Singh, Vice Chairman, Inland Waterway Authority of India, Mr N Prasanth, Managing Director, Kerala State Inland Navigation Company Limited, Mr Adil Khan, State Project Director, Assam Inland Water Transport Development Society and Mr Manish R Sharma, Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). The interactive session between these industry experts facilitated an enlightening discussion on enhancement of Inland waterways and its integration with other modes of transportation which will not only reduce the logistics cost substantially but will also work towards making India an environmentally cleaner place.
As part of an esteemed panel Mr. Agarwal touched upon some key points on the growth and opportunities of Inland waterways. He pointed out the importance of Inland waterways and how the need for it cannot be overemphasized. With Essar being a pioneer in the industry, inland waterways has been the lifeline for its steel plant. Over the years, we have seen more than 70% of the cargo handled in inland waterways is steel and iron ore. Essar and JSW are handling about 70mn tonnes of cargo through inland waterways. Mr. Agarwal flagged off the issues that need to be addressed such as availability of drafts throughout the year. He also spoke on the importance of and need to build 20-30km stretches at river mouths, create locks and channels, this will construct sustainable waterways and at the same time care for the environment and general public.
Mr. Agarwal pointed out that the industry can greatly benefit from inland waterways and work towards fulfilling Hon’ble PM’s dream of creating port led development as it is a cost effective and environment friendly mode of transport helping in lowering of congestions compared to rail and roads.
He also highlighted the potential to develop river mouths whereby the industry, people will be benefited creating industrial clusters & port cities etc.
Further into the discussion, Mr. Agarwal underlined the benefits and potential of tourism on waterways. He spoke about how Kerala has an astounding model in terms of tourism and also stated dredging being an important aspect for perennial navigation. He concluded the session by stressing on the benefits of developing ports and terminals in rivers in view of its techno commercial feasibility.