Parliament Question: Coastal and Inland Water Transport in Tamil Nadu

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF PORTS, SHIPPING AND WATERWAYS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2134 ANSWERED ON 31.07.2026 COASTAL AND INLAND WATER TRANSPORT IN TAMIL NADU 2134. DR. RANI SRIKUMAR: SHRI C N ANNADURAI: Will the Minister of PORTS, SHIPPING AND WATERWAYS be pleased to state: प(cid:517)न, पोत प(cid:303)रवहन और जलमाग(cid:330) मं(cid:361)ी (a) whether the Government has undertaken any assessment of the potential for expansion of coastal passenger transport, ferry services and inland water transport in Tamil Nadu during the last three years; (b) if so, the details thereof along with the studies conducted to identify locations and recommendations made for improving coastal and inland water connectivity in the said State; (c) whether the Government proposes to develop new coastal passenger ferry routes, modern ferry terminals and multimodal water transport infrastructure in the said State and if so, the details thereof, district-wise; and (d) whether the Government has taken steps to promote safe, affordable and environmentally sustainable water transport, tourism and employment opportunities through such projects in Tamil Nadu and if so, the details thereof? ANSWER MINISTER OF PORTS, SHIPPING AND WATERWAYS (SHRI SARBANANDA SONOWAL) (a) & (b) No such study has been conducted by the Government of India. (c) Under the Sagarmala scheme of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW), the following 4 projects worth Rs. 42 crore have been undertaken in the state of Tamil Nadu: i. Upgradation of Nagapattinam Port infrastructure for the passenger ferry service from Nagapattinam (India) to Kankesanthurai (Sri Lanka) ii. Creation of berthing facilities for the tourist vessels at Agni Theertham iii. Creation of additional berthing facilities for the tourist vessels at Pamban Approaches, Mandapam. iv. Development of Passenger jetty at Kanyakumari (d) The details of development of cargo / river cruise tourism planned for five National Waterways in Tamil Nadu are given at Annexure.Annexure Details of development of cargo/river cruise tourism planned for five National Waterways(NWs) in Tamil Nadu: (a) Buckingham Canal (constituent of NW-4): Jetty for river cruise tourism circuits are as follows: i. Mahabalipuram to Ediyur Bridge ii. Cooum River Portion of Buckingham Canal near Marina Beach iii. Pulicat Lake iv. Ennore Port to ETPS for Cargo movement (b) Bhavani River (NW-20): Jetty for river cruise tourism at Bhavani – Sangameswar Temple. (c) Kaveri-Kollidam River (NW-55) : Jetty for river cruise tourism near Chidambaram. (d) Pazhyar River (NW-77) : Jetty near Kanyakumari for river cruise tourism. (e) Ponniyar River (NW-80) : Jetty for river cruise movement. *****