RAS question
The East Coast Canal system that forms part of NW-4 is also known as:
Correct answer: (D) Buckingham Canal.
The East Coast Canal system that forms part of National Waterway 4 is known as the Buckingham Canal.
Explanation
National Waterway 4 is the clue. The east-coast navigation canal running from Vijayawada to Villupuram through Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu is the Buckingham Canal, and it forms part of NW-4. The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways lists this canal alignment under NW-4: its component stretches include Commamur Canal, North Buckingham Canal, South Buckingham canal, the Marakanam to Puducherry stretch through Kaluvelly tank, and East Coast Canal and Matai river. So among the options, Buckingham Canal is the only name tied to NW-4's east-coast canal system.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Indira Gandhi Canal is in Rajasthan, and the Ministry list places it separately as National Waterway 45, not as the east-coast canal system in NW-4.
- (B) Sethu Canal belongs to the Palk Strait region, and it is not one of the NW-4 canal stretches listed by the Ministry.
- (C) Grand Anicut is linked with the Cauvery, while the NW-4 entry in the Ministry list names the Buckingham Canal stretches on the east-coast alignment.
Concept
This tests the infrastructure and inland-waterways part of Indian Economy, where canal names must be matched to National Waterway numbers. It recurs in RAS because such questions check whether an aspirant can separate similar-sounding canal projects by region and official waterway classification.