Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal on Friday announced prioritization of the proposed Goa Water Metro. The project envisages linking the state capital, Panaji, on the banks of the Mandovi River, with riverine towns and villages.
The Union government gave the initial green light to the project after the state government appointed Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) to prepare a detailed report on the project. KMRL surveyed about 38 sites and identified eight potential routes. “The Goa Water Metro project, which was earlier envisioned at a later stage, has now been prioritized for implementation of the first phase,” Sonowal said. He added that this was done at the request of Chief Minister Pramod Sawant. “If a water metro can be successfully implemented in Kochi [Kerala]Then in Goa too, we can.”
Sonowal was in Goa to attend the inauguration of the new Panaji Port terminal building, which he said would be a model for other river ports. He said that India’s economic growth will be primarily led by ports. “Over the past 12 years, India’s maritime sector has witnessed transformative growth.”
He said major ports have almost doubled their capacity and greatly improved their efficiency, while reducing ship turnaround time from 95 hours to 41 hours. “The number of Indian seafarers has increased by more than 150% to 332,000. Coastal cargo traffic has doubled.”
Sonowal said the number of cruise passengers has increased four times. “Inland waterways have emerged as a key driver of growth, with operational waterways increasing from three to 32 and cargo traffic growing more than seven-fold. India is emerging as a major maritime nation with a clear roadmap under India’s Maritime Vision 2030 and 2047,” he added.
