Comments submitted to the National Capital Region Planning Board on the draft Regional Plan 2041 for the NCR on 7th January 2022

On 9th December 2021, the draft Regional Plan 2041 for the NCR was published online inviting public comments and objections. The draft Regional Plan, among other things, proposes speedy implementation of the National inland waterways project (NW-110) in the river Yamuna for transportation of cargo and passengers.

As Manthan has been studying and monitoring the developments on the National Waterways Programme, we submitted our comments on the inland waterways proposals mentioned in the draft Plan. Through our submission we foreground the conclusion of the Detailed Project Report prepared for the Inland Waterways Authority of India (2020) which states that the NW-110 on river Yamuna is a financially non-viable project.

With extremely high capital investment, the project would require major interventions such as dredging and construction of 20 barrages in an already severely polluted and almost dying river. We suggest that a long term planning should be focused on revitalizing the river and conducting proper and intensive environment, social and economical assessments while including the consultations with the communities most dependent on the riverine resources as the fulcrum of further planning.

Read our submission

Access the draft Regional Plan 2041 for the NCR