Sarbananda Sonowal spells out modernized Assam inland water transport facilities in RS

NEW DELHI: Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal informed the Rajya Sabha that a comprehensive development of National Waterway (NW)-2 (Brahmaputra River) has been undertaken at a cost of Rs. 498 crore from 2020-21 to 2024-25. Major projects include construction of the Bogibeel and Jogighopa terminals, tourist jetties at Bogibeel and Pandu, regular fairway development works, and installation of navigational aids for smooth shipping and navigation.

Spelling out the transformative initiatives undertaken to modernise inland water transport facilities in the North-Eastern States, Sonowal further said the construction of a ship repair facility at Pandu and an elevated road connecting National Highway 27 with Pandu Port and the ship repair facility has also been taken up at a cost of Rs. 419 crore.

Sonowal said that the comprehensive development of NW-16 (Barak River) has been undertaken at a cost of Rs. 134.72 crore from 2020–21. Key projects include the upgrading of terminals at Badarpur and Karimganj, fairway development, maintenance of navigational aids, and procurement of amphibian dredgers, etc.

He said NW-57 (Kopili River) has been operationalised with the movement of 300 metric tonnes of cement from Chandrapur (Kamrup) to Hatsingimari (South Salmara–Mankachar).

Under the Central Sector Schemes (CSS) for the development of IWT in NER states, the Union minister said, projects have been sanctioned for terminal and fairway development, as well as for the procurement of small passenger vessels.

The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways is actively promoting river-cruise tourism in the NER. The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), an autonomous organisation under MoPSW, is developing dedicated cruise terminals on NW-2. Locations earmarked for development of cruise terminals include Guwahati, Neamati, Biswanath Ghat, Silghat, and Guijan.

A Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), comprising Sagarmala Finance Corporation Limited, IWAI, and the Inland Water Transport and Tourism Department of the Government of Assam, has taken up the development of a religious tourism circuit connecting seven temples, namely Lachit Ghat, Aswanta Temple Ghat, Doul Govinda Mandir Ghat, Hanuman Mandir Ghat (Uzan Bazar), Umananda Ghat, Pandunath Ghat, and Kamakhya Temple, using suitable vessels under a hop-on hop-off model. (PIB)

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