Re: Need to extend National Waterway No. 3 from Kottappuram to Kollam upto Kulachal in Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu
DR. A. SAMPATH: Water resources are considered to be the most precious natural resource in the world. The Indian sub continent is blessed with a number of good rivers which are either navigable or can be made navigable. Kerala is having 44 rivers with very good flow of water. At present there is only one national waterway declared in Kerala. The National waterway No. 3 is only from Kottappurarn to Kollam. The extension of waterway from Kollam to Kulachal in Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu, is highly necessary to ease the ever-increasing traffic congestion on the roads of Kerala and Tamil Nadu especially the traffic of bulk carriers and bulk oversized goods as well as hazardous goods. The canals of the erstwhile Thiruvananthapuram-Shoranur canal are still waiting for development and modernisation. Hence, I urge upon the Government of India to declare the said portion also as National Waterways and to undertake development activities by the Inland Waterways of India.
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