Developing South Buckingham canal into a navigable waterway has been a non-starter for two years.
Now, the decision of the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) to shift its Chennai office to Vijayawada could delay the process for many more years.
In January 2014, the IWAI, functioning under the Ministry of Shipping, started its operations implementing the National Waterway - 4 project for a distance of 1,078 km covering Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.
Of this, nearly 188 km falls in Tamil Nadu. In Chennai, the plan was to develop the stretch of South Buckingham canal between Sholinganallur and Kalpakkam at a cost of nearly Rs.124 crore to enable cargo vessels with nearly 300 tonnes capacity and passenger vessels to navigate the waterway.
The IWAI had set up its office on Indian Maritime University campus, Uthandi, two years ago. But the project has not made any progress. While the stretch between Muttukadu and Sholinganallur was to be taken up for development, the feasibility of extending the project till Thiruvanmiyur was also being considered.
Sources in the State Water Resources Department said the project remained a non-starter. Only the detailed project report by WAPCOS, a public sector undertaking, is ready. Denying allegation about non-cooperation for the NW-4 project, senior officials of WRD said a few meetings were organised with IWAI representatives seeking a clear-cut execution plan.
“We are willing to co-operate. Our role is to delineate the width of the canal and allocate space for the silt excavated from the dredged canal. We had sought chemical analysis of the silt to be made by IWAI to allot suitable dumping site,” a senior official said.
Asked for reaction, IWAI secretary D. Sai Amutha Devi said that the Chennai office was being temporarily shifted to Vijayawada where the project to develop NW-4 has started. “We had to vacate premises because the university has given notice as they require the space. Instead of relocating to a different premise, we are shifting to Vijayawada for a short duration,” Ms. Devi said.
