Various systems of Transportation:
1. Land Transportation.
2. Air Transportation.
3. Water Transportation
1. Land Transportation: It is as essential as arteries in the human body and is the back-bone of the prosperity of a nation. Land Transport can be divided into two parts:
(A) Rail Transport:
Demand for railway transport system has increased in the industrial and agricultural field due to fast economic development.
Main efforts done to improve the rail transport:
1. Increase in the capacity of railways.
2. Modernization of signal system.
3. More use of wagons with roller bearings.
4. Increase in trailing load capacity.
5. Efforts for the development of uniguage system throughout the country.
6. Arrangement of special trains.
7. Extension of railway track.
8. Development of 500 HP engines for carrying goods.
9. Extension of railway track.
10. Electrification of railway lines.
(B) Road Transport: Agriculture and rural based economy of India has increased the demand for roads. At present 65% goods transport is under road transport. Therefore it is necessary to expand the road transport. During the last 15 years there has been a tremendous improvement in respect of road thickness, road- broadening, in connecting villages to cities, in changing two lane National highways to four lane system, construction of flyovers under the Prime Minister’s Road Plan. The work on the Swarnim Chaturbhuj Pariyojna to connect metropolitan cities and the Corridor Pariyojna to connect north to south and east to west is going on.
2. Air Transportation: Air, a natural phenomenon, is the medium of Air- transport. Surface obstructions do not affect the air transport. No investment is required in this as in the case of road and railway construction. It is highly developed and most challenging and most revolutionizing system of our economic and cultural life. Air transport is utilized mainly for travelling but since declaration of free space policy in April 1990 by the government of India, Many private firms have bought air cargos. There has been an increase in sending goods by air transport since the government has decontrolled freight rates of air transport. Air taxi service is also being used in air transport. As a result the exporter get cargos timely and they have the facility to choose the freight rates.
3. Water-Transport: In the ancient India the water transport was in the developed state due to our potential shipping industry. In Kautilya’s Arthashastra there is a reference to the water transport available in India. Magasthenese, the Greek traveller, wrote that there were 58 navigable rivers in India.
The Indian Water Transport is divided into two parts:
- (A) Bhartiya Jahaj Rani (Indian Shipping).
- (B) Inland water Transport.
(A) Indian Shipping: Modern Indian shipping transport was started in 1919 by Sindhia Steam Navigation company but it has only 1% share in the world. Jahaj Rani no doubt the Bhartiya Jahaj Rani Company working in the public sector, is one of the largest companies of the world, having, loading capacity of 35 lakh tons. There are five private shipping companies, having loading capacity of more than one lac tons, but for foreign trade we have to use foreign ships. There is a need to develop comprehensive policy for it.
(B) Inland Water Transport: In the ancient time rivers had been important means of internal water transport, but their importance decreased due to the construction of railway lines and also failure of the government to form a suitable policy for the development of water- transport. Both river transport and canal transport have been extended after the establishment of central water transport corporation. The river Brahmaputra is the best for water transportation. The goods are also transported by boats in the rivers-the Ganga, the Mahanadi, the Godawari, the Krishna etc. The water transport could not progress much due to some obstacles such as floods during rainy season, lack of water during summer and sand in the rivers.
