Union ports, shipping and waterways minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Friday announced the prioritisation of the proposed Goa Water Metro. The project envisages connecting the state capital of Panaji on the banks of the River Mandovi to riverine towns and villages.
The Union government had given the preliminary go-ahead for the project after the state government appointed Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) to prepare a detailed project report. The KMRL has surveyed around 38 locations and identified eight potential routes. “The Goa Water Metro project, earlier envisaged in a later phase, has now been brought into phase I implementation priority,” Sonowal said. He added that this was being done at chief minister Pramod Sawant’s request. “If a water metro could be implemented successfully in Kochi [Kerala], then in Goa too, we can.”
Sonowal was in Goa for the inauguration of a new Panaji Port terminal building, which he said would be a model for other riverine ports. He said that India’s economic growth will primarily be port-led. “Over the last 12 years, India’s maritime sector has witnessed transformational growth.”
He said major ports have nearly doubled their capacity and significantly improved their efficiency, with vessel turnaround time reducing from 95 hours to 41 hours. “The number of Indian seafarers has risen from over 150% to 332,000. And coastal cargo movement has more than doubled.”
Sonowal said the number of cruise passengers has increased over four times. “Inland waterways have emerged as a major growth engine, with operational waterways increasing from three to 32 and cargo movement growing more than sevenfold. India is emerging as a major maritime nation with a clear roadmap under the Maritime India Vision 2030 and 2047,” he said.
