Prime minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday highlighted the need for adequate control over the country?s maritime activities for maritime security.
Speaking at the valedictory function of the Golden Jubilee celebrations of state-owned Shipping Corporation of India in Mumbai on Saturday, Singh said, ?With India?s growing trade and increasing energy demand, there is an urgent need to further develop our national fleet. I call upon the Indian shipping companies to pursue their growth plans in right earnest and in tune with the global economic environment.?
?A good transport infrastructure is critical not only for increasing the pace of our economic development but also for making our growth processes more inclusive,? the Prime Minister said.
India?s growing economy, with its increasing need for transportation of raw materials, semi-finished and finished products, offers excellent opportunities for the country?s maritime sector, he observed.
?I would urge the Indian shipping and logistics industry to avail of these opportunities. We should look seriously at coastal shipping and inland waterways as environment friendly and fuel efficient modes of transport for optimising the overall logistics cost and reaching the hinterland. We need to accelerate the pace of expansion of the port sector, especially through public private partnerships.?
India also needs to improve the drought in its ports by increasing the pace of dredging. ?In inland waterways, we need to promote investments, particularly in the remote areas of our country like in the North East,?? he suggested.
There is also a need for seamless integration of the various models of transport and, therefore, for coordinated development of the shipping industry, land-based logistics and the port sector. Greater attention needs to be paid to ensuring good road and rail connectivity to ports, especially the new minor ports coming up in the private sector.
?We have set up the National Transport Development Policy Committee under the chairmanship of Rakesh Mohan, and I am confident that the committee will provide useful suggestions on these issues,?? Singh added.
Further, Singh said any industry can thrive only in an atmosphere of safety and security. Incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships are a cause of concern.
Instances of pirate attacks in the Arabian Sea and more recently in the Indian Ocean, much beyond the piracy infested areas of the Gulf of Aden, pose a serious threat to India by putting at risk a large number of Indian seafarers and ships, as also its seaborne trade.
?Our Navy, Coast Guard and shipping companies are putting up a concerted effort in close coordination with other international agencies to deal with this menace,?? he assured.