Renewed Push for Class-III Upgrade of Buckingham Canal
The waterway, declared in 2006, was envisaged as a major navigation corridor connecting important ports and industrial hubs along India’s east coast.
Nellore: A renewed push is under way to transform the North Buckingham Canal into a high-capacity inland waterway, with a strong appeal to the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) to upgrade its classification from Class-I to Class-III standards.
Lok Sabha member from Nellore Vemireddy Prabhakar Reddy has been pursuing the project, citing the strategic importance of the canal, which forms a key stretch of National Waterway No. IV linking Kakinada to Puducherry.
The waterway, declared in 2006, was envisaged as a major navigation corridor connecting important ports and industrial hubs along India’s east coast.
While IWAI had initially proposed Class-II standards, the Andhra Pradesh government in 2015 sought a Class-III upgrade to enable movement of cargo vessels of up to 1,000 tonnes capacity. The proposal was accepted and groundwork, including a delineation survey to map canal land and plan a 40-metre-wide corridor, was initiated. However, the project later stalled.
In December 2022, IWAI issued an office memorandum downgrading the development plan for the North Buckingham Canal and the Commamuru Canal to Class-I standards, limiting their carrying capacity and operational scope.
Reddy said the downgrade could undermine the canal’s economic potential. Stretching over 300 km parallel to the eastern coastline, the Buckingham Canal connects major ports such as Ennore, Krishnapatnam and Ramayapatnam, besides linking upcoming ports such as Machilipatnam and Vodarevu.
The corridor also passes through industrial zones including Sri City, IFFCO Kisan SEZ and key fishing harbours.
He said restoring Class-III status would facilitate seamless cargo movement between ports and generate major economic benefits. He also noted that expansion of the canal would not involve significant land acquisition hurdles, making it a viable infrastructure project.
The proposal is expected to draw the attention of both state and central authorities as stakeholders seek to develop the canal into a key route for sustainable and cost-effective cargo transport.
