India’s ministry of steel has asked state-run Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) and Tata Steel Limited to increase the use of inland waterways for transportation of raw materials and finished steel to reduce logistical costs, a government official said on Tuesday, September 27.
The official said that the two companies have been asked to prepare the report with “specific time-bound actionable points”, that could lead to increased usage of inland waterways for transportation.
Tata Steel recently pioneered the use of inland waterways for transportation of steel under the Indo-Bangladesh protocol. Tata Steel recently successfully transported 25 mt of rebar from Kolkata to the northeastern state of Assam through multi-modal transportation using Kolkata port to Chittagong port in the neighbouring country, and thereafter using the land border between the two countries on the way to the final destination.
In a related development, the Inland Water Authority of India (IWAI) recently floated a tender worth $24 million to dredge, develop and maintain a minimum 2.5 meters depth of water along rivers in Gangetic West Bengal and routes along the Indo-Bangladesh riverine protocol for the smooth movement of cargo-laden barges.
