Transport System in India

INTRODUCTION #

Major improvements in the Transport sector are required to support the country’s continued economic growth and to reduce poverty.

ROAD TRANSPORT #

In the area of transport, there has been some progress in the roads sector, both in the development of national highways and in rural roads, but much more needs to be done. The National Highway Development Programme needs to be stepped up with an aggressive pursuit of PPP to construct toll roads on a Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) basis. The States too need to expand their road programmes to provide good quality connectivity in all areas. Many States have resorted successfully to PPP as a mode of road development.

A special effort is needed to speed up road connectivity in Jammu & Kashmir, the North East and other Special Category States. A good start has been made in the SARDP-NE in the Eleventh Plan and this needs to be pursued with greater vigour in the Twelfth Plan. Enhanced connectivity of the North East should be a high priority. This is also true for districts affected by Left-Wing Extremism.

RAILWAYS #

Development of capability in the Railways is another urgent priority for the Twelfth Plan. Capac- ity in the Railways has lagged far behind what is needed and feasible, especially given the need to shift from road transport to rail in the interest of improving energy efficiency, and reducing the car- bon footprint of our development. Expansion of the system must be accompanied by technological

modernisation, greater attention to safety and steps to ensure financial viability. Several important new initiatives are underway which will materialise in the course of the Twelfth Plan. These include flagship projects such as the Western and Eastern Freight Corridor, the Mumbai Elevated Rail Corridor and the High Speed Corridor.

AIRPORTS #

Airport development is a basic infrastructure requirement for connectivity, especially since the demand for air travel is projected to grow rapidly. This area has seen a sea change in the Eleventh Plan with the development of four new airports through private participation in the PPP mode (Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Delhi and Mumbai), the upgradation of two metro airports by Airport Authority of India (AAI) (Chennai and Kolkata) and the development of 35 non-metro airports by AAI. There is need for further expansion in the Twelfth Plan with the cre- ative use of PPP wherever possible. Several projects are likely to be taken up in the Twelfth Plan. These include the Navi Mumbai Airport, the Goa Airport and the Kannur Airport. A policy to make some of our airports into international hubs is also being considered.

PORTS #

Ports are another critical capability for inter- national trade connectivity. Progress in this area in the Eleventh Plan was disappointing as for as major ports were concerned because several institutional issues had to be resolved for the proposed PPP expansion plans to materialise. These have now been resolved and it is expected that the Twelfth Plan will see a much greater expansion. In contrast minor

ports (which come under State Governments) have done very well in the Eleventh Plan. An aggressive expansion of port capacity in the major ports based on PPP is essential in the Twelfth Plan. In addition, two entirely new PPP ports are proposed by the Central Government; one in West Bengal and the other in Andhra Pradesh.

Each transport sector is discussed below in detail with recent developments and problems and solution of present era.

Rail Transport #

The Indian railway system is the second largest system in the world under the single management. Railways virtually forms the lifeline of the country, catering to its needs for large scale movement of traf- fic, both freight and passenger, thereby contributing to economic growth as well as promoting national integration. It is a multi gauge system operating on three gauges – the broad, the metre and the narrow. The Indian railway had a modest beginning in 1853 when first train flagged off from Mumbai to Thane.

The detailed railway expansion plan was chalked out under Lord Dalhousie. During the post independence era the new strategy was chalked out that included expansion of the route length, gauge conversion, electrification on tracks, modernizing the signaling system, improvement in passenger safety and amenities, better management of freight and passenger traffic, Introducing high speed passenger trains etc.

Factors effecting distribution pattern of Railways #

1. Geographical factors; this includes the pro- file of terrain. As northern plain with level topography, high population density and rich agricultural presence have attracted high lev- el of railway network. There are practically no railways in the flood plains of many rivers in Bihar and Assam. The plateau region of south India sometimes hinders railway devel- opment. The Himalayan region in the north is almost devoid of railways due to rugged to- pography but by using new technologies new railway network has been established in Jam- mu and Kashmir. Similarly Konkan railway acts as a masterpiece of engineering passing

through rugged Western Ghat. But the density of railway network decreases in sandy areas, hilly areas where cost of installation exceeds the profit dimension.

• Economic factors; as railways develop more in economically advanced areas where the need for railway network is felt more. This is because of the economic linkages we find the highest density of railways near big ur- ban and industrial centres and in areas rich in mineral and agricultural resources. The rich coal, iron ore deposits of Chotanagpur region created high demand for rail network. The cotton growing tract of Deccan favoured rail development despite physical constraints arising out of western ghat topography.
• Political and administrative factors; British administration developed railway network to enhance their penetration to interior India as well as to provide better connectivity to ma- jor ports. After independence the government followed this only policy but for uniform inclusive growth the rail network has been en- hanced to all over country with passage of time.

ONGOING   DEVELOPMENTS #

Dedicated Freight Corridor Project (DFC) #

The DFC project was first proposed in April 2005 to address the needs of the rapidly developing Indian economy. The existing quadrilateral railway network, also known as the Golden quadrilateral, which links the major metropolitan cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata, is unable to support the growing demand due to capacity constraints.

A dedicated freight corridor was, hence, required to address these concerns. Ministry of Railways, under the direction of the Indian Government, has taken up the dedicated freight corridor (DFC) project. The project involves the construction of six freight corridors traversing the entire country.

The purpose of the project is to provide a safe and efficient freight transportation system. The DFC project envisaging a Western DFC (1534 km) from Mumbai to Rewari to cater largely to the container transport requirement and an Eastern DFC (1839 km) from Ludhiana to Dankuni largely to serve coal and steel traffic is being implemented by the

Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Ltd. (DFCCIL).

Delhi-Mumbai industrial corridor is also coming up. Considering the need for DFCs on other impor- tant routes, a preliminary engineering cum traffic survey (PETS) is being undertaken on the following routes—north-south (Delhi to Chennai), east-west (Kolkata to Mumbai), eastsouth (Kharagpur to Vijayawada), and south (Goa to Chennai) The DFC project is expected to reduce congestion at various terminals and junctions. It will provide the efficient and fast movement of freight along the corridor. The project is currently facing land acquisition problems.

Mono Rail in Mumbai #

Considering the increase in population, increased travel demand and narrow road networks running through congested structures, there is a need of a system which will occupy less space as well as reduce travel time. With the objective, to support public rapid transit system such as suburban rail system and metro rail system and where public rapid transit system is not available or impossible to provide such system and where widening of roads is not possible due to structures on either sides, Mono Rail system is proposed to be implemented in “ city of dreams” MUMBAI. Once completed it will be world’s second longest Monorail corridor. Larsen and Toubro along with Scomi has received the contract to build and operate the monorail.

Salient features of Monorail system: #

1. In Monorail System train runs on a nar- row Guide way Beam, wheels of which are gripped laterally on either side of the beam.
2. Monorail is a Light Weight System and its cost of execution is less compared to heavy rail systems and it takes approximately 1.5 to 2 years for execution.
3. Mono rail System requires 1.00 m wide space (Column Size 0.8 m × 1.5 m) the space of a footpath or a divider and it rests on a single pillar of height 6.5 m without disturbing the existing traffic.
4. As compared to other systems Monorail pro- duces less noise and is eco-friendly and hence easily acceptable in dense residential locale.

• Monorail System is in use in Tokyo (Japan) from 1963, in Kuala-Lumpur (Malaysia) for last 5 years and in china for last 3 years.
• Monorail System is Safe and reliable system.

Effect on Indian Economy #

• The construction and expansion of the rail- ways have been proved to be beneficial for the economic and inclusive growth of the economy. It provides a better linkage between producer, retailer and consumer.
  • It has played a significant role in the develop- ment of cotton textile industry, jute industry as it provides free flow of raw materials with proper penetration to market areas.
  • Railways have been very helpful in the devel- opment of Indian agriculture. Now farmers can send their agricultural goods to distant places and can fetch good incomes.
  • Railways also help in maintaining uniform price level for agricultural products through better movement.
  • New industrials hubs have been emerged as higher mobility of raw materials reduced the concentration of industries mainly around raw material centres. As Kanpur is known for cotton garments whereas the raw materials are present in Maharashtra and Gujarat.
  •   Railways are playing significant role in run- ning country’s administration and safeguard- ing its freedom and integrity, as it provides easy movement of police, troops, defence equipments etc.

ENVIRONMENTAL SIDE EFFECTS #

The penetration of railway networks in every nook and corner of the country; on one hand enhancing the economy, cultural linkages, and national integration but on the other hand leading to environment depletion. The laying of new tracks requires clearance of forests that affects the biodi- versity and forest dwellers both. Recently we have seen in news that due to presence of railway track in elephant corridor accidents and death of around five elephants took place. Similarly for the establishment of railway tracks in hilly areas dynamites are used to break hills which in turn cause air pollution as well

as lead to frequent landslides. Thus environmental angle has to be included along with economic and cultural angle while developing railway networks.

Problems and Solutions #

Indian railway have progressed a lot, both quan- titatively and qualitatively but this system is still plagued by a number of problems which require immediate attention.

Safety: #

Safety has become a prime concern for railways after frequent accidents occurred recently killing about hundreds of passengers. There are several factors which are responsible for increasing number of accidents as over raged tracks, wagons, coaches, bridges and signaling system. The tracks suffer from fatigue and wear and tear in due course of time. The railway zones should monitor safety measures and implement them on priority basis in the larger interest of passengers. All vacancies related to safety should be filled soon. Proper training to railway personnel, particularly in safety segments needed to reduce the implementation time after accidents.

Cost and Revenue Problems: #

Railways used to face the problem of financial crisis. The annual rate of increase in cost has over- taken that of revenue. New trains have been launched and frequency of mobility have too increased a lot thus up gradation of tracks, amenities, safety meas- ures causes a heavy burden on exchequer of railway. The solution can be allowing PPP model in railways for up gradation of infrastructure.

Social Burden #

A railway has a dual role of being commercial organization along with social organization. It has to provide facilities at low cost. Suburban passenger services, concessionary travel to certain section of society, being a social campaigner etc creates the financial crisis on railways.

Road Transport #

Road is the indigenous mode of transport .Roads offer door to door services and construction can be undertaken even in areas of difficult terrain. In developing country like India road is a harbinger of economic development and prosperity.

Importance of Roads #

1. Roads play a very important role in the trans- portation of goods and passengers for short and medium distances.
2. It helps farmers to move their perishable agri- cultural products soon to markets and mandis. Thus encourage farmers to switch to more commercially viable agricultural products.
3. Road transport system establishes easy con- tact between farms, fields, factories and mar- kets, thus leading to better linkage between consumer and producer.
4. Mobility is one of the most fundamental and important characteristics of economic ac- tivity as it satisfies the basic need of going from one location to the other, a need shared by passengers, freight and information. Road transport provides a better mobility that leads to economic development.
5. It is suitable for transportation of both perish- able and non perishable goods controlling the price in the economy.

Grameen Sadak Yojana: Enhancing Rural Development #

Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) was launched on 25th December 2000 by the Gov- ernment of India as a 100% Centrally Sponsored Scheme to provide road connectivity in rural areas of the country. The programme envisages connecting all habitations with a population of 500 persons and above (250 persons and above in respect of hill States, the tribal and the desert areas) through good allweather roads.

This will enhance the pace of rural development as follows:

• New business opportunities will emerge due to better transport.
  • Transportation cost of agricultural goods will get reduce.
  • This will increase connectivity to schools and hospitals.
  • This will provide employment to poor and unemployed people.
  • This will increase penetration of government assistance in inaccessible areas too.

• This will enhance the better implementation of government schemes Ultimately till will help in better connectivity to nearby cities that will lead to rural development economically as well as socially

Public Private Partnership Model in Road Transport #

Traditionally, the road projects were fully financed and controlled/ supervised by the Gov- ernment. The implementation of road projects was purely dependent on the availability/ allocation of funds out of the budget of the Government. It was assessed, at the time of the preparation of the Tenth Plan that for National Highways alone, Rs. 1, 65,000 crore is required for removal of the deficiencies.

It was in this context that the necessity for exploring the innovative means of financing the highly capital intensive road projects was felt. Thus government has to switch to PPP model of working so that the burden of cost of labour and resources can be divided between government and private sector.

Highways are a critically important infrastruc- ture for an emerging nation. And the design of appropriate contracts is the critical instrument for meeting the challenge of highways. What are these challenges? To put it in one sentence, the challenge is to maximize the difference between:

• The additional welfare that our citizens get from having more and better roads and,
• The present value of the cost of building (henceforth, building should be taken to mean building or renovating) those roads.

The involvement of private sector will bring 3’s to the system: #

Efficiency, Economy and Effectiveness thus in present scenario where fast pace economic devel- opment is transiting from a developing world to emerging world; slow pace of transport sector can act as obstacle. So PPP model is need of the hour. While there are a number of forms of Public Private Partnership, the common forms that are popular in India and have been used for development of National Highways are –

• Build Operate and Transfer (BOT) Toll basis: The concessionaire (private sector)

is required to meet the upfront cost and the expenditure on annual maintenance. The concessionaire recovers the entire upfront cost along with the interest and a return on investment out of the future toll collection.

• Build Operate and Transfer (BOT) Annu- ity basis: In an BOT (Annuity) Model, the Concessionaire (private sector) is required to meet the entire upfront/construction cost (no grant is paid by the client) and the expenditure on annual maintenance The Concessionaire recovers the entire investment and a pre-de- termined cost of return out of the annuities payable by the client every year. The selec- tion is made based on the least annuity quoted by the bidders (the concession period being fixed).The client (Government/ NHAI) retains the risk with respect to traffic (toll), since the client collects the toll.

Central Road Fund #

The Central Government has created a dedicated fund, called Central Road Fund by collection of cess from petrol & diesel. Presently, Rs. 2/- per litre is collected as cess on petrol and High Speed Diesel (HSD) Oil. The fund is distributed for development and maintenance of National Highways, State Roads, and Rural Roads and for provision of road over bridges/ under bridges and other safety features at unmanned Railway Crossings as provided in Central Road Fund Act, 2000.

Fifty percent of the cess levy on diesel will be used to improve rural connectivity whereas remain- ing for the development of state roads and national highways.

MAJOR NATIONAL HIGHWAYS #

• NH 1- Delhi – Ambala – Jalandhar – Ludhiana
  • Amritsar – Wagah Border.
  • NH 1A- Jalandhar – Jammu – Udhampur – Banihal – Srinagar – Baramula – Uri
  • NH 1D- Srinagar – Kargil – Leh
  • NH 2 – Delhi-Agra-Allahabad-Kolkata
  • NH 3 – Agra-Gwalior-Indore-Dhule-Nasik- Mumbai
  • NH    4    –    Thane-Pune-Bangalore-Chennai. (Mumbai-Pune-1st 6 lane express highway)

• NH 5 – Baharagora – Cuttack – Bhuvaneshwar
  • Vishakhapatnam – Chennai
  • NH 6 – Hazira – Surat – Dhule – Nagpur – Raipur – Baharagora – Kolkata
  • NH 7 – Varanasi-Nagpur-Hyderabad-Banga- lore- Kanyakumari (Longest Highway)
  • NH      8      –      Delhi-Jaipur-Ajmer-Udaipur- Ahmedabad-Vadodara-Surat-Mumbai
  • NH 24 – Delhi – Moradabad – Bareilly – Luc- know.
  • NH 47A-Kundannur-Willington Island in Kochi (Shortest NH-6 km)

Golden Quadrilateral Project #

The Golden Quadrilateral is a highway network connecting India’s four largest metropolises: Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata, thus forming a quad- rilateral of sorts. Four other top ten metropolises: Bangalore, Pune, Ahmadabad, and Surat, are also served by the network. It is the first phase of the National Highways Development Project (NHDP), and consists of building 5,846 km (3,633 mi) of four/ six lane express highways.

The GQ project establishes better and faster transport networks between many major cities and ports. It provides an impetus to smoother movement of products and people within India. It enables industrial and job development in smaller towns through access to markets. It provides opportunities for farmers through better transportation of produce from the agricultural hinterland to major cities and ports for export, through lesser wastage and spoils. Finally, it drives economic growth directly through construction as well as through indirect demand for cement, steel and other construction materials. It gives an impetus to Truck transport throughout India

Organisations Related to Road Transport #

The National Highways Authority of India #

The National Highways Authority of India was constituted by an act of Parliament, the National Highways Authority of India Act, 1988. It is responsible for the development, maintenance and management of National Highways entrusted to it and for matters connected or incidental thereto. The Authority was operationalised in February,

1995 with the appointment of full time Chairman and other Members. It aims at meeting the nation’s need for the provision and maintenance of National Highways network to global standards and to meet- ing user’s expectations in the most time bound and cost effective manner, within the strategic policy framework set by the Government of India and thus promote economic well being as quality of life of the people.”

Central Public Works Department #

The Central Public Works Department of India is a central government owned authority that is in charge of public sector works in the country. Central Public Works Department (CPWD) under Ministry of Urban Development is entrusted with construction and maintenance of buildings for most of the Central Government Departments, Public undertakings and Autonomous bodies.

Border Road Organisation #

The Border Roads Organization [BRO] plays a very vital role in connecting the inaccessible border areas. BRO was raised on May 7, 1960 with the mission of developing communication in hither to forlorn areas of the north and North-East states of India and also fortification of the turbulent borders. BRO, the brain child of first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru came into existence on May 7, 1960 as a pioneer road construction agency. Border Roads Organization, popularly known as BRO, is a civil engineering institution responsible to provide civil (construction) engineering cover to the Armed Forces of India, during war and peace.

Environmental Effects #

Road transport no doubt has increased the acces- sibility of people to interiors of the nation but the environmental effects are increasing day by day with the development of roads. The major environmental effect is air pollution. The burning of petrol and diesel releases many harmful gases as sulphur, lead, carbon monoxide that causes respiratory diseases in human beings. As the four lane highways and six lane highways are coming up for which the clear- ance of the roadside trees are required thus depleting the biodiversity at large. The construction of roads in hilly areas affects the topography, biodiversity of that area and leads to frequent landslides

Problems and Solutions #

1. Inadequacy of Road Network: despite the large progress in road network of the nation road length of 75.01km per 100 sq km of area is present whereas in other nations as Japan (294.6km), France (147.2km) etc. Lakhs of villages are still not connected by surface roads. Government is implementing schemes for up gradation of roads but poor implemen- tation effects the whole scenario.PPP model should also be used in village road contracting.
2. Low Surfaced Roads: around 40% of roads are unsurfaced. They can be only used in fair weather and become muddy and unfit for trans- portation in rainy season. Government should concentrate on increasing area of surfaced roads as it is implementing Grameen Sadak Yojana.
3. Poor Infrastructure: national highway net- work will have to be improved to meet the growing traffic of men and materials. A large section has insufficient road pavement thick- ness, weak and distressed bridges, congested city sections and weak road safety measures.

. Poor Financial structure of State Road Transport Undertakings: these are facing financial constraints due to social commit- ment to operate at low cost and even on un- economic routes, absence of rationalized cost based fare structures and overstaffing. Private parties should be allowed to enter in road transport sector to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of road transport but with regu- lations.

Air Transport #

Air transport is the fastest and modern means of transportation that has lead to shrinking of the world. Air transport plays a vital role in times of emergencies and calamities as floods, famines, epidemics for transportation of men and materials. Air transport in India begins in 1911 when air mail operation commenced between Naini and Allahabad. In 1953 air transport was nationalized and two cor- porations were formed: Air India Internationals and Indian Airlines.

Further the two airlines officially merged in each other on 27 February 2011. As part of the merger

process, a new company called the National Aviation Company of India Limited (now called Air India Limited) was established, into which both Air India (along with Air India Express) and Indian Airlines (along with Alliance Air) had merged. There are many private players also as jet airways, kingfisher, spice jet, indigo etc.

International Airports #

International Airports are located at Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Jaipur, Panaji, Amritsar, Guwahati, Kochi, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Thiruvananthapuram and Goa.

1.     Indira  Gandhi  International Airport, #

Delhi

• It is the busiest airport in South Asia handling the most traffic movements and passengers on the subcontinent.
  • The airport was previously operated by the Indian Air Force and was a part of the Palam Airport until its management was transferred to the Airport Authority of India.

2.     Chhatrapati      Shivaji      International Airport, Mumbai #

• Formerly called SAHAR (international) Air- port and SANTA CRUZ (domestic) Airport. The two airports were merged and renamed as Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport.
  • India’s and South Asia’s largest air port.
  • Country’s second busiest airport. It, along with Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Air- port, handles more than half of the air traffic in South Asia.

3.     Netaji     Subhash     Chandra     Bose International Airport, Kolkata #

• It is located at Dum-Dum near Kolkata, West Bengal
  • The airport was originally known as Dum- Dum Airport.
  • The airport is the largest in eastern India.

4.     Meenambakam International Airport, #

Chennai

• It is located in Tirusulam, 7 km south of Chennai.

• This is the third-busiest airport in India (after Delhi and Mumbai).
  • It is the second-largest cargo hub in the coun- try, after Mumbai.

5.     Bengaluru International Airport, Bengaluru #

• The airport is located 4 km south of Devana- halli in Bengaluru covering 4,000 acres.
  • It replaced the old HAL Bangalore Interna- tional Airport.

6.     Rajiv   Gandhi   International   Airport, #

Hyderabad

• Earlier it was known as Begumpet airport.
  • It is the second public-private partnership venture in the Indian airports, the first being the Cochin International Airport.

7.     Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, Ahmedabad #

• It is India’s eighth busiest airport with an av- erage of 150 aircraft movements a day.

8.     Nedumbassery Airport International Airport, Kochi #

• It is the fourth busiest airport in India in terms of international traffic & is the busiest airport in Kerala in terms of domestic and interna- tional traffic.
  • The airport is the first international airport in

India incorporated as a public limited company.

9.         Raja    Sansi    International   Airport, #

Amritsar

• It is also known as Guru Ram Das Interna- tional Airport.
  • It handles about 90 commercial flights a

week, both international and domestic.

10. Trivandrum     International     Airport, #

Thiruvananthapuram

• It is the first International airport in a non-met- ro city in India.
  • It is considered as an “all weather” airport in

the country and is ISO 9001- 2000 certified.

• It is the 8th busiest airport in the country in terms of international passenger traffic and 10th busiest in terms of overall passenger traffic.

11. Dabolim Airport International Airport, #

Goa

• It is the only airport in the state and operates as a civil enclave in a military airbase named INS Hansa.

12. Lokpriya         Gopinath         Bordoloi International Airport, Guwahati #

• Known as Guwahati International Airport and formerly as Borjhar Airport.
  • The airport is managed by Airports Authority of India and also serves as Indian Air Force base.
  • It is named after Gopinath Bordoloi who was a freedom fighter and also the first CM of As- sam after independence.

Air Ambulance #

An air ambulance is an aircraft used for emer- gency medical assistance in situations where either a traditional ambulance cannot reach the scene easily or quickly enough, or the patient needs to be transported over a distance or terrain that makes air transportation the most practical transport. These and related operations are referred to as Aero medical. Air ambulance crews are supplied with equipment that enables them to provide medical treatment to a critically injured or ill patient. Common equipment for air ambulances includes ventilators, medication, an ECG and stretchers.

The air crash in Faridabad of air ambulance has pointed on its safety provisions. Government has set up Accident Investigation Committee (AIC) to work under supervision of the Civil Aviation Ministry. It would identify the causes of accident in an inde- pendent manner and assist the formal probe panels like courts or committees of inquiry. It would also coordinate and provide support for the probe panels and follow up and monitor the compliance of the recommendations made in the Accident and Serious Incident Investigation Reports.

Pawan hans Helicopters Limited (PHHL) #

Pawan Hans Helicopters Ltd. (PHHL) an ISO 9001:2000 certified company, is one of India’s leading helicopter companies and is known for its reliable helicopter operations. The company was incorporated in 1985 with the objective of providing

helicopter services to the petroleum sector, linking inaccessible areas of the country and operating charters for promotion of tourism. Pawan Hans is a leader in providing offshore helicopter support in India. Its helicopters fly under a variety of condi- tions for carrying out ONGC tasks at Bombay High.

The Company has a strong presence in the North- East having its helicopters deployed in the States of Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Sikkim and Tripura. Regular passenger services are being run under the aegis of these State Governments. Helicopter has also been provided to Ministry of Home Affairs in the North-East for VIP transportation. PHHL runs the helicopter services from Agustmuni and Phata to the Holy shrine of Kedarnath in the months of May-June and September-October every year.

The Company has also deployed two Bell 407 helicopters for operations at Katra (for Mata Vaishno Devi) from April 2008 onwards. The company has provided helicopters to Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep Islands for inter-island helicopter services. It also meets the requirements of Govern- ment of Punjab (VIP transportation) and PSUs such as GAIL for pipelines surveillance.Pawan Hans is the largest helicopter Company in India and it’s oper- ating and maintenance standards are of a high order with in-house workshops and maintenance facilities.

Jal Hans #

It is a commercial seaplane facility to Andaman and Nicobar Islands. “The launch of the sea plane service is a step towards faster promotion of the tourism sector in the islands”. Besides developing tourism infrastructure, the plane service will also help improve connectivity between different islands of the Union territory.

The sea plane service, a joint venture between Pawan Hans Helicopter and Andaman and Nicobar administration will be used to connect Port Blair with Havelock Island and subsequently others islands in the North and Middle Andaman. The sea plane is a Cessna Caravan 208 Amphibian and has a seating capacity of nine passengers and can land on water.

Gagan Project: Enhancing Safety #

GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation ‘’Gagan’’ is an augmentation system to enhance the accuracy and integrity of GPS signals to meet preci-

sion approach requirements in Civil Aviation and is being implemented jointly by AAI and ISRO. The goal is to provide navigation system for all phases of flight over the Indian airspace and in the adjoining area. It is applicable to safety-to-life operations, and meets the performance requirements of international civil aviation regulatory bodies.

GSAT IV being fabricated by ISRO will carry GAGAN payload. The footprint of this satellite will cover a vast geographical area from Africa to Australia and hence would facilitate expansion of the service area of ‘’Gagan’’ far beyond Indian airspace. When implemented this would replace most of the ground based navigational aids and it would be possible to provide precision approach and landing guidance up to category I to aircraft hitherto not available due to terrain conditions precluding the provision of Instrument Landing System.

Flight Management System based on GAGAN will then be poised to save operators time and money by managing climb, descent and engine performance profiles. The FMS will improve the efficiency and flexibility by increasing the use of operator-preferred trajectories. It will improve airport and airspace access in all weather conditions, and the ability to meet the environmental and obstacle clearance constraints. It will also enhance reliability and reduce delays by defining more precise terminal area procedures that feature parallel routes and envi- ronmentally optimized airspace corridors.

GAGAN will increase safety by using a three-di- mensional approach operation with course guidance to the runway, which will reduce the risk of con- trolled flight into terrain i.e., an accident whereby an airworthy aircraft, under pilot control, inadvertently flies into terrain, an obstacle, or water. GAGAN will also offer high position accuracies over a wide geographical area like the Indian airspace. These positions accuracies will be simultaneously availa- ble to 80 civilian and more than 200 non-civilian airports and airfields and will facilitate an increase in the number of airports to 500 as planned. These position accuracies can be further enhanced with ground based augmentation system.

Problems and Solutions #

AIR TRANSPORTindustry of India is facing a number of problems. AIR INDIA is facing stiff

competition from the private players in terms of facilities and fare charges. These airlines suffer from mismanagement as frequent pilot strikes, political interference occurs. The primary step would be to enlarge and upgrade airports and allied infrastruc- tural facilities to meet the growing traffic. For these private players should be welcomed as in Greenfield airport of Hyderabad. The recent fraud pilots’ cases have minimized the credibility of airlines. Govern- ment should take strict action against the culprits and proper regulations should be made to curb this practice in future.

Water Transport #

Water transport is the cheapest means of trans- port and is therefore suitable for carrying heavy and bulky materials. It is a fuel-efficient and eco-friendly mode of transport. According to one estimate the construction of each kilometer of railway and road needs an investment of around 1 crores whereas only

0.10 crores is required to develop same length of waterways.

The salient features of India’s shipping policy are the promotion of national shipping to increase self-reliance in the carriage of the country’s over- seas trade and protection of stakeholders’ interest in EXIM trade. National shipping makes significant contribution to the foreign exchange earnings of the country.

Their development is faster and maintenance cost is much lower. Water transport in India has been divided into:

1. Inland Waterways
2. Seaways.

Inland Waterways #

Inland waterways refer to using inland water bodies like rivers, canals, backwaters, creeks etc. for transporting goods and people from one place to another. Inland Waterways Authority of India was set up in 1986 for the development, maintenance and regulation of national waterways in the country. In other to increase the significance of inland waterways and to improve their efficiency, the government has identified important waterways and designated them as national waterways of India.

National Waterway No 1 (NW-I) – The Ganga (North India) #

The Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly River System connecting Haldia-Kolkata (Calcutta) – Farakka – Munger – Patna – Varanasi – Allahabad is navigable by mechanized boats up to Patna and by ordinary boats up to Haridwar.

The NW-1 stretches to more than 1620 Kms of potentially navigable waterways. Night navigational facilities are in the process of implementation.

National Waterway No 2 (NW-II) – The Brahmaputra (North-East India) #

The river Brahmaputra connecting Dhubri- Pandu (Guwahati)- Tezpur-Neamati-Dibrugarh- Sadiya stretching to about 891 Kms was declared a National Waterway in 1988. Provisions for 2-meter depth channels, night navigational facilities are under consideration.

An inland Water Transport transit and trade protocol exists between India and Bangladesh. The NW-2 connects the North East region with Calcutta and Haldia ports through Bangladesh and Sunder- bans waterways.

National Waterway No 3 (NW-III) – The West Coast Canal (South West India) #

The West Coast Canal located in Gods Own Country – Kerala runs from Kollam to Kottapuram and was declared a National Waterway in 1993.The NW-3 is one of the most navigable and tourism potential area in India and has much to offer to the potential tourist.

National Waterway 4 (NW 4) #

The Kakinada-Puducherry stretch of Canals and the Kaluvelly Tank, Bhadrachalam – Rajahmundry stretch of River Godavari and Wazirabad – Vijay- awada stretch of River Krishna has been declared as national waterways No. 4.

National Waterway 5 (NW 5) #

The Talcher-Dhamra stretch of river Brahmani, Geonkhali – Charbatia stretch of East Coast Canal, Charbatia- Dhamra stretch of Matai River and Man- galgadi-Paradip stretch of Mahanadi delta rivers has been declared as national waterway No. 5.

Factors affecting Inland waterways: #

1. Diversion of river water for irrigation canals has reduced the flow of water and declined the navigation capacity of the rivers.
2. The presence of waterfalls, cataracts and sharp bends hinders the development of wa- terways.
3. Silting of river bed reduces the depth of water and creates problem for navigation.
4. Lack of funds.

The government is promoting Inland Water transport in the form of interest subsidies and induc- ing private investment. For promoting the use of this mode by private operators, they are encouraged to use Central Inland Water Transport Corporation ves- sels free of hire charges. Inland water transport has a good potential to be exploited and efforts should be made in this direction. Passenger transport should be encouraged. Intermodal connections with shipping, railways and roadways can improve the performance of Inland Water transport.

For overall development of IWT sector in the country it is necessary that national waterways as well as other waterways are developed side by side. A large number of smaller rivers from tributaries of National Waterways Rivers if developed with IWT infrastructure, many of these smaller rivers can become suitable for navigation by smaller/medium size inland vessels and can act as feeder routes to the main waterways. While the development and regulation of National Waterways is the responsi- bility of Central Govt./IWAI, the respective State Governments should develop other waterways.

However, due to fund constraint, it has not been possible for the States to provide adequate funds for IWT development. Therefore, to encourage the States for IWT development, there was a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) for IWT sector. Under the CSS, 100 per cent grant is provided for the projects of North-Eastern States including Sikkim and 90 per cent grant to other States.

The Planning Commission has discontinued the scheme for areas other than North East Region from the year 2007-08. The scheme has been continued for the North-Eastern regional and classified as a Central Sector Scheme.

Seaways #

Shipping plays an important role in the transport sector of India’s economy. Almost 98% of India’s overseas trade in terms of volume is moved by sea. Coal and petroleum products constitute the bulk of the cargo. India has a vast coastline of about 7,516 km and over two million square kilometers of Exclusive Economic Zone.

The entire coastline is studded with 12 major and 185 minor ports. India has the largest merchant shipping fleet among the developing countries and ranks 20th amongst the countries with the largest cargo carrying fleet with 8.83 million GT.

MAJOR SEA PORTS IN INDIA #

India has 12 Major Ports and about 200 Non-ma- jor Ports. On the western coast the major ports are: Mumbai, Marmagao, Kandla, New Mangalore, Nhava Sheva (Jawaharlal Nehru Port) and Kochin. Whereas on the eastern coast are Madras, Kolkata- Haldia, Vishakhapatnam, Tuticorin, Paradeep and Ennore. The Major Ports are under the purview of the central government while the Non-major Ports come under the jurisdiction of the respective State Governments.

1. Kandla: It is a tidal port located at the eastern end of Gulf of Kuchchh about 48 km away from Bhuj. It has been developed after inde- pendence to relieve congestion on Mumbai port and to compensate for the loss of Ka- rachi port to Pakistan after partition. It is a port with natural sheltered harbour in Kandla creek. Leather, petroleum products, chemi- cals, salt, cement, cotton and silk textile, ed- ible oils are main items of export. Crude oil, good quality coffee, potash, and machines are main items of import.
2. Mumbai: It is a natural harbour and the largest port of India handling about 1/5th of India’s foreign trade. It is situated on SALSETTE ISLAND on the western coast

.Oilseeds, groundnut, raw leather and leath- er-wears, tobacco, cotton textile and engi- neering goods are the main items of exports. High quality cotton, chemicals and chemical fertilizer, petroleum, machineries and paper are main import items. It handles foreign

trade with Western and East African coun- tries and Gulf countries. Opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 brought it much closer to the European countries.

• Jawaharlal Nehru port: It has been built at Nhava Sheva Island across the Elephanta caves, about 10 km from Mumbai. Main ob- jective is to relieve the pressure on the Mum- bai Port. It is equipped with most modern facilities having mechanized container berth for handling dry bulk cargo and service berth etc. It is the largest manmade and most mod- ernized port of India. It handles 55-60% of the country’s containerized cargo.
• Marmagao: It is a natural port located at the entrance of Zuvari estuary in Goa. It handles the export of iron-ore from Goa. Iron ore, manganese, coconut, coffee, cotton, etc. are the main items of export. Petroleum, fertiliz- er, chemicals, machines and food-grains are the main import items.
• New Mangalore: Located at the southern tip of Karnataka coast north of Gurpur River. Iron ore, tea, rice, cashew nut, granite, coffee, rubber, fruits and fishes are the main export items. Fertilizer, edible oils, petroleum and machines are import items. It has facilities for export of iron-ore from Kudremukh mines. It is well connected through broad gauge rail lines and NH-17 with Mumbai & Kanyaku- mari. The ship beyond 6000 tones cannot stay here.
• Kochi: A natural harbour on the western coast of Kerala (in Vembanad Lake), 320 ki- lometers north of Kanyakumari. It is located close to Suez-Colombo sea route. The port has sheltered backwater bay. This port han- dles 5% of the total trade. Tea, Coffee, Cop- per, Rubber, Rice, Sea products and Spices are main export items whereas coal, iron and steel, zinc, petrol, fertilizers cotton, wheat, rice and bauxite are main import items.
• Tuticorin: It is an artificial deep sea harbour in Tamil Nadu, north of Adam Bridge and east of Sri Lanka. Its main purpose is to carry on trade with Sri Lanka as it is very near to that country. Spices, tea, salt, sugar, copra, cotton

textile, leather and banana are main export items whereas coal, fertilizer and machines are main import items.

`8. Chennai: It is the oldest artificial port on the eastern coast of India. At a time 16 ships can stay in this artificial harbor. Tamil Nadu, east- ern Karnataka and southern Andhra Pradesh fall under its hinterland. Cotton and silks textile, coffee, fertilizer, rubber, tobacco, oil- seeds, rice, leather and fishes are main export items. Coal, petroleum, paper, sugar, vehi- cles, medicines, machines and chemicals are main import items. Due to lesser depth near coast, it is ill-suited for large ships.

• Ennore: Recently developed to reduce pres- sure of traffic on Chennai port. It is located slightly north of Chennai on T.N. coast. It is country’s first corporate port. The major items of traffic are coal, iron ore, petroleum, chemicals, etc.
• Vishakhapatnam: It is the deepest land- locked and protected port at the coast of Andhra Pradesh. Manganese, spices, wood, coal and iron ore are main export items. Steel, oil, coal, machines and luxury items are the main imports. An outer harbour has been de- veloped to handle the export of iron-ore. Iron- ore from Bailadila mines is exported to Japan from this port. It also has ship-building and ship-repairing industry.
• Paradeep: It is a deep-water & all weather port on Orissa coast in Mahanadi delta re- gion. This port has been developed with a view to export raw materials mainly iron ore to Japan. Iron- ore, chromites, fishes, manga- nese are main items of export where as chem- ical, fertilizer potash and food grains are main import items. It is being developed as a free port where iron-steel industry in proposed to be established.
• Kolkata-Haldia: It is a river rine port locat- ed on the west bank of the Hooghly River. Tea, sugar, jute, iron and steel goods, coal, textiles, oilseeds, leather, mica and manga- nese are main items of export. Paper, petrol, fertilizers, chemical goods, rubber, machines medicine are main import items. It handles

goods coming from South- East Asian Coun- tries, Australia and New Zealand. It is called “Gateway to Eastern India”. Haldia port has recently been developed on the confluence of rivers Hooghly & Haldi, about 105 km down- stream from Kolkata. Its main purpose is to release congestion at Kolkata.

Passenger Ferry service between India and Sri Lanka #

Ferry service has been resumed between Sri Lanka and India after being halted for more than 25 years because of the island’s civil war. The ferry will carry the passengers from both the countries in economical and efficient. This will enhance the relations between two countries both economically and culturally as tourist flow will increase. The ferry service will connect Tuticorin port in India and Colombo in Sri Lanka.

Problems and Solutions #

The Indian water transport system is confronted with problems as inadequacy of tonnage capacity, shortage of container fleet, over raged vessels result- ing into high operational costs, stiff competition from foreign shipping companies, congestion at the major ports and inadequate infrastructural support like ship repair facility, dry docking, cargo handling and lack of proper coordination in entire logistics chain.

In the eighth plan the basic thrusts were towards the replacement of aged and uneconomic ships, diversification of fleet through the acquisition of container ships and specialized containers, achieve- ment of self sufficiency in tankers and improvement of infrastructural facilities at the port. Requirement is to make the ports more autonomous and reduce existing legal formalities. Autonomous ports can raise resources from the primary market by way of equity.

In order to improve efficiency productivity and quality of services as well as to bring in compet- itiveness in port services, the port sector has been thrown open to private sector participation. The Major Port Trust Act, 1963 permits private sector participation in major ports invites Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) up to 100% under the automatic route is permitted for construction and maintenance of ports and harbours. Private sector participation has been allowed in a variety of ports services which includes construction and operation of terminals,

warehousing/storage facility, dry docking and ship repair facilities.

Pipeline #

Pipelines are the most convenient mode of transporting liquids and gases over long distances. Even solids can also be transported by pipelines after converting them into slurry. The country had a network of about 5,035 km long pipelines in 1980 which has increased to over 7,000 km now. India is not self sufficient in crude oil and petroleum based products. Hence every year it has to import around 70% of these products from abroad. While giant tanker ships import it from foreign country but to transport the crude to refineries and petroleum products from refinery to consumer markets needs widespread branches of pipelines.

India has developed an indigenous network of pipeline for easy and economical transfer of oil from one place to another.

Advantages of Pipeline: #

• They are ideally suited to transport the liquid and gases.
• They can be laid over difficult terrain as well

as under water.

• It involves very low energy consumption.
• Their operation and maintenance cost is low.
• They are safe, accident-free and environmen- tal friendly.

Disadvantages of Pipeline: #

• It is not flexible i.e. it can be used only for a few fixed points.
• Its capacity cannot be increased once it is laid.
• It is difficult to make security arrangements

for pipelines.

• Underground pipelines cannot be easily re-

paired and detection of leakage is also difficult.

MAJOR PIPELINES OF INDIA #

1.    Nahorkatiya-Noonmatibarauni Pipeline #

This is the first pipeline of the country con- structed by OIL for transporting crude oil from Nahorkatiya oilfield in Assam to Barauni in Bihar

via Noonmati. It is now extended to Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh

2.    Bombay       High-Mumbaiankleshwar- Koyali Pipeline #

This line connects the oil fields of Mumbai high and Gujarat with oil refinery at Koyali. It provides facilities for transporting crude oil and natural gas.

3.    Salaya-Koyali-Mathura Pipeline #

This has been laid down from Salaya to Koyali and Mathura via Viramgram to supply crude oil to the extended Koyali and Mathura refinery. It has an offshore terminal for imported crude oil. Now it has been further extended to Panipat and Jalandhar.

4.    Hajira-Bijapur-Jagdishpur Gas Pipeline #

This has been constructed by Gas Authority of India to transport gas. It connects Hajira in Maha- rashtra to Bijapur in M.P and Jagdishpur in U.P. It carries 18 million cubic metres of gas everyday to three power houses of Gujarat, Rajasthan and U.P. and to six fertilizer plants. This is the world’s largest underground pipeline and brought economic boost to economy of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

5.    Jamnagar-Loni LPG Pipeline #

This has been constructed by Gas Authority of India connecting Jamnagar in Gujarat to Loni near Delhi. This is the longest pipeline of the world. This is the first time that cross country pipeline has been used to transport LPG adding to availability of sup- plies, safety in transportation and wider distribution.

Issue of Pipeline Safety #

Aging infrastructure, lack of safety standards, and weak oversight and enforcement are the key elements leading to pipeline accidents. The follow- ing are the recommendations for improved pipeline safety and accountability.

1.    Prevent Pipeline Disasters #

●    Require Better Monitoring #

• Require regular integrity testing of pipe- lines.

• Require better training and oversight of staff.
  • Require pipeline companies to provide pipeline mapping data with the possible exception of gathering lines.

●    Require Safer Pipelines #

• Require double-walled pipelines espe- cially in high consequence areas.
  • Require state of the art leak detection system and automatic shut off valves.
  • Dig up and inspect pipelines more than 20 years old.
  • Require setbacks of at least 1,000 feet for high-risk areas for pipelines larger than 8 inches.

2.    Hold Pipeline Companies Responsible for Accidents #

• Establish mandatory fines.
• Require strict and thorough reporting. As In- dia is entering in agreement with Tajikistan and Iran for the supply of natural gas so agen- da of pipeline safety comes at forefront.

Effect on Economy #

Pipelines play a major role in economic devel- opment of the country as:

• It provides easy transportation of petroleum products from refineries to consumer market maintaining a balance between demand and supply. Thus keeping the cost of petroleum products at desired point.
  • It helps in transfer of petroleum products to fertilizer plants thus effects the agricultural production of the country.
  • LPG is now transferred by pipelines thus de- creasing the transportation cost and making it easily available to the masses.

Refineries can be set up at far distance from the raw material source thus helps in reducing regional disparity.