Analyse the importance and the declining popularity of water transport in India in recent times.

OR

The distribution of roads is not uniform in India. Interpret the statement by giving examples.

Transport facilitates the movement of people, goods and services from one place to another. There are four major means of transport:

a. Roadways

b. Railways

c. Waterways

d. Airways

Each means has its own advantages and disadvantages.

Importance of waterways:

The importance of waterways can be well understood from the following:

a. It is the cheapest mode of transport to transport bulk quantities from one country to another.

b. It does not require any man-made route to ease the flow of goods and all the major oceans and seas are linked by nature.

c. There is no much traffic congestion when compared to other means of transport.

d. It is more fuel efficient and thus more eco-friendly.

However, these waterways are becoming less popular in India due to the following reasons:

1. Transport through waterways is time-consuming.

2. The other means such as airways, railways etc., pose serious competition.

3. Small waterways like rivers and canals are not maintained properly.

4. Water from these sources are diverted for other purposes and hence there is no much scope for sources like a boat to sail on.

Hence, waterways are not considered superior to other means of transport.

OR

India is a developing country which has a better network of roads. The roads in India are can be classified into two, National Highways and State Highways.

1. The distribution and the length of roads depend on the nature of the terrain. For example, the construction of roads is comparatively easy and is cheaper in plains than in hilly regions. This is why the density of roads is low in Northeast regions and some of the Himalayan regions.

2. The nature of roads and density depends on the capital invested and also the maintenance. Hence, the economic development of the state is also important since the maintenance of roads require more capital. We can see a better quality of roads in developed states like Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh etc.

3. Still, there are many villages in India where there are no roads at all.

Due to many factors, there is no uniform distribution of roads in India.