The Hindu Business Line : IWAI proposes to install night navigation facilities

THE Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) proposes to have night navigation facilities installed over the stretches of the National Waterways Nos. 1 and 2 by March 2005.

"The work is in progress and we hope to complete it by the end of the current financial year," Mr K. Shankar Narayanan, Chairman of IWAI, told Business Line here recently.

The absence of night navigation facilities restricted the movement of the IWT vessels at night, thus doubling the time taken by the river route to cover a particular distance. Wiser from the earlier experience when the lights installed on the buoys were stolen, there was now a move to involve the boatmen in the river in the job.

Asked what about the night navigation facilities over the stretches of the NW2 through Bangladesh, he replied that there was already an arrangement between the two countries in this regard and the facilities were in place along the greater part of the route. "Bangladesh authorities concerned in their own interest provide the facilities as a large number of Bangladeshi vessels ply on the route", he said.

It might be noted that exports to Bangladesh by the river route recently increased substantially and the Bangladeshi vessels accounted for the bulk of the trade, as the Indian bargeowners were unable to match the rates.

Providing handling facilities was another area which received a good deal of attention of IWAI, the Chairman said pointing out that two terminals were under construction in Guwahati and Patna and a third one was in the offing at Haldia.

The orders have been placed with a Kolkata-based firm for supplying five matching shore cranes proposed to be installed at Guwahati (two) and one each at Patna, Kolkata Dock System and Haldia.

IWAI has already installed three floating cranes at Kolkata Dock System, Patna and Guwahati and the proposed acquisitions, the first of which is to materialise by April, will supplement the operation of the floating cranes.

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