Inland waterways is now backbone of energy transportation for NE: Sarbananda Sonowal

Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI: Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal said the rapid modernization of inland waterways in the Northeast is set to unlock major economic opportunities and strengthen the petroleum supply chain and export routes connecting Assam to Bangladesh and Southeast Asia. “The Inland Waterways sector today stands as the backbone of energy transportation for the Northeast, reinforcing India’s energy security and unlocking new trade corridors,” the Union Minister stated.

Speaking at the North East Oil & Gas Conclave 2025, Sonowal said, “Under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji, the renewed focus on Inland Water Transport (IWT) has enabled smooth and swift cargo movement, reduced logistics costs and provided a reliable multimodal network for the movement of petroleum products and industrial cargo across the Brahmaputra and Barak river systems. This has not only revived one of the oldest and proven conduits of economic prosperity but also repurposed the economic activity and prosperity in the hinterland of the region.”

Union Minister Sonowal said that jetties and terminals in Assam—including Pandu, Jogighopa, Dhubri, Bogibeel, Karimganj and Badarpur—have emerged as critical hubs for cross-border trade. These river terminals facilitate the export of petroleum products and large industrial consignments to Bangladesh and onwards destinations, cutting transit distance, travel time and fuel consumption compared to road transport.

The Minister said the government has undertaken Rs 1,000 crore worth of inland waterway projects in the Northeast in the past two years, including permanent cargo terminals, ship repair facilities, tourist jetties and urban water transport systems. A Rs 239-crore ship repair facility under development at Pandu is expected to significantly reduce maintenance costs for river vessels that currently travel to Kolkata through Bangladesh for repairs.

The Union Minister thanked the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) for organizing the conclave and called for deeper collaboration between government and industry to accelerate private participation, innovation and infrastructure development in the energy and transport sectors.

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