Parliament Winter Session: New law to make seaplanes a mode of transport, says Nitin Gadkari

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari (File)

The government will bring in a new law to enable use of seaplanes as a new mode of transport, Transport and Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari told Lok Sabha Tuesday. “I told the civil aviation minister, either you make a law or I [Shipping Ministry] will call it ‘air boat’ and make a new law to enable it,” Gadkari said, drawing laughter “So the two ministries are working together to draft a new law.” Gadkari was replying to a debate on a bill — passed unanimously — to amend the Central Road Fund Act 2000, to earmark 2.5%of the fund for development of national waterways.

The Central Road Fund, made from cess levied on high speed petrol and diesel, is used in development and maintenance of roads and railways; the amendment seeks to include national waterways. This would be done by reducing around 2.5% from the share allocated for national highways, or Rs 2,300 crore per year. The government is in the process of developing 111 national waterways.

Gadkari said seaplanes will have a great impact on transportation. “A seaplane in Mumbai can shuttle passengers between the city and Shirdi. It can take people to Goa,” he said. Speaking of water, Gadkari said there is no shortage of water in the country, but there needs to be redistribution of water for better utilisation. “I will end more than half of the water related disputes in this country in two years,” said Gadkari, who is also the Minister for Water Resources and Ganga Rejuvenation. “So much river water flows into the sea. We need to trap some of that water and channel it for irrigation,” he said speaking of the proposed Polavaram project in Andhra Pradesh.