Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji

Panaji, Jan 30: Goa is set to establish a Maritime Board to better utilise its 105-kilometre coastline and inland waterways, announced Ports Minister Digambar Kamat on Thursday during the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) conference on logistics.

“The process has already started and I assure you that very soon you will have the Goa Maritime Board because it is the right thing,” Kamat said, highlighting that the board’s formation aims to accelerate the state’s economic growth.

The minister said the ports department reviewed suggestions from the industry and took inputs from states that have already formed their own maritime boards. “We are going through all the details and I will take all stakeholders into confidence before finalising the maritime board constitution,” he added.

Kamat acknowledged that despite Goa’s substantial coastline, the state has not fully tapped its maritime potential. “We have 105 km of coastline, but we did not utilise it, unfortunately,” he said, citing Kerala as an example of a state that has successfully leveraged its waterways for tourism and transport.

The minister stressed that while road transport currently dominates Goa’s infrastructure, there is significant potential for river-based transport. “We are concentrating only on roads. We have to give more thrust to transport through rivers and in Goa it is possible,” he said.

The proposed Goa Maritime Board, under consideration for several years, will aim to streamline the management of ports and inland waterways, and promote maritime trade and tourism in the state.

Industries Minister Mauvin Godinho said transportation of cargo through waterways can reduce costs for manufacturing industries. “We have to get the cost down. We steadily but slowly are becoming a logistics state,” he added.