Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh is poised for a significant shift in its logistics and industrial landscape, with a strong focus on developing its inland waterways. Roads and buildings, investments and infrastructure minister B C Janardhan Reddy spoke of the immense potential of inland waterways at the stakeholders consultation meeting organised by the Andhra Pradesh Inland Water Authority (APIWA) here on Thursday.

Speaking at the meeting, the minister stressed the state’s commitment to building a sustainable, integrated, and future-forward logistics ecosystem. He said, “This meeting is a testament to our commitment to developing an environmentally-friendly system with logistics that move forward.”

He said that inland waterways are emerging as crucial growth engines for the state’s development. These waterways are highly fuel-efficient, cost-effective and environmentally friendly, offering a significant opportunity to reduce reliance on road and rail transportation while simultaneously curbing pollution.

Janardhan Reddy noted that Andhra Pradesh is one of India’s most water-rich states, boasting 978 km of national waterways and 57 rivers. Strategic expansions like the Krishna–Godavari Canal System (National Waterway–4) and the Penna river (NW–79) are already connecting key ports like Kakinada, Krishnapatnam and Machilipatnam. Currently, Andhra Pradesh transports 80 lakh tonne cargo annually via inland waterways and the state aims at increasing this to 1.4 crore tonne.

Projects like the Bandar Canal (Muktyala to Machilipatnam) and the Krishna river RO (roll off)-RO (roll on) cargo corridors are set to revolutionise the movement of heavy goods, shifting millions of tonnes of cargo from congested roads to efficient water routes.

The state is also developing over 50 industrial clusters along these river corridors. To facilitate this growth, the state government is offering a highly efficient single-window clearance system with 93 approvals.

In collaboration with Central organisations like the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), the state is actively working on detailed project reports and feasibility studies for strategic expansions, particularly along NW-4.

The minister invited the private sector, urging logistics operators, shipping companies, vessel manufacturers, and infrastructure developers to partner with the state.

AP Maritime Board chairman Damacharla Satyanarayana, , Andhra Pradesh Inland Waterways Authority chairman Dr Z Sivaprasad, member (Traffic) Inland Waterways Authority of India Vinay Kmar and others also participated.