India, Oct. 17 -- India's rivers, once central to trade and civilisation, are witnessing a quiet resurgence. Once viewed as a dated concept, moving cargo through inland waterways is now re-emerging as a practical, sustainable, and economically viable solution to the country's modern infrastructure challenges. For centuries, India's rivers connected cities and trade centres. But with the advent of road and rail, that network faded. Now, rising fuel costs, traffic congestion, and growing environmental concerns have prompted a fresh look at this natural alternative.
The numbers tell a compelling story. In just over a decade, cargo movement on national waterways has grown from 18.1 million metric tonnes in 2013-14 to 145.84 million metric tonn...