(a) whether the Union Government has any proposal to strengthen coastal service
in the eastern and the western coasts;
(b) if so, the details thereof;
(c) whether there is a scope to operate coastal service between India and Bangladesh;
(d) if so, the steps taken in this regard during the Tenth Plan;
(e) whether any programme has been drawn to expand coastal service in the Eleventh
Plan; and
(f) if so, the details thereof?
MINISTER OF THE STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF SHIPPING, ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS
(SHRI T.R. BAALU)
(a) & (b): In order to strengthen coastal service, Government have given certain
concessions, viz.,
(i) Coastal ships have been exempted from filing a bill of coastal
goods at load ports and bill of entry at the discharge port;
(ii) Coastal ships are
exempted from light dues;
(iii) Dedicated terminals have been provided for coastal
shipping at various major ports in India;
(iv) Vessel related charges for coastal
vessels and cargo related charges for coastal cargoes have also been reduced and are
now at 60% of the rate charged from other (foreign going) vessels; and
(v) Tonnage tax
is available to coastal ships registered under Merchant Shipping Act.
(c) to (f): Shipping service between India and Bangladesh is treated as international
service. The 10th Plan did not make any specific reference to international service
between India and Bangladesh. As such, there is no proposal to operate coastal service
between India and Bangladesh. However, there is a feeder service operating on the ‘
Chennai-Kolkata-Chittagong,’ route that caters to the east coast of India shipments
to the Bangladesh Port. Also, another feeder service operating on the ‘Colombo-
Chittagong’ route caters to shipments from west coast of Indian Ports to Bangladesh.
No programme has been drawn to expand coastal service between India and Bangladesh in
the Eleventh Plan.