Guwahati, Feb 26, 2025, IANS

Guwahati, Feb 26 (IANS) Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal announced an investment of more than Rs 4,800 crores to transform the inland waterways sector of the state at the Advantage Assam 2.0 summit here on Wednesday, officials said. Speaking on the occasion, the Union Minister, Sarbananda Sonowal said, “Under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the country is cruising ahead towards realising the vision of Viksit Bharat. Assam along with the Northeast plays an integral part in propelling this journey to realise the vision of PM Modi. Inland Waterways plays a crucial role in this scheme of things as the Prime Minister planned its revival since 2014 from near obscurity and neglect of the past.” The minister added that with its rich interweb of riverine systems in the region, the inland waterways aim at rejuvenating its ageless role as the main conduit of trade and commerce. “Globally considered as futuristic, the inland waterways provide an opportunity to opt for a more economic, efficient and environment-friendly mode of transporting cargo and passengers. With the launch of schemes like ‘Jalvahak’, the Modi Govt has been incentivising businesses to switch to inland waterways, thereby, improving the economies of scale, decongesting the railways and roadways and enabling a conducive ecosystem that is vital for the pivotal role Assam is set to play towards India’s ascendency to become world’s biggest & an Atmanirbhar economy by 2047,” he said. At the summit, the Union Minister announced an allocation of Rs. 1,500 Crores for a planned transition into Green Vessels by 2030 under the ‘Harit Nauka’ scheme. An amount of more than Rs. 1,500 crores has been earmarked to facilitate cruise tourism and enhance cargo handling capacity by 2027-28 in NW2 and NW16. This includes the construction of jetties with onshore facilities at Silghat, Bishwanath ghat, Neamati Ghat and Guijan along with the construction of a new building for Regional Office, MSDC, Guest house and office space for ITAT at Fancy Bazar in Guwahati. An amount of Rs. 375 crores is pegged for the development of Phase II of the Ship Repair Facility at Pandu. In order to maintain the fairway, the government has entrusted the Dredging Corporation of India (DCI) to ensure an assured draft of 2.5 meters from the Bangladesh Border to Pandu in NW-2 till 2026-27. An amount of Rs 191 crore has been earmarked for this, Sonowal stated. The Union Minister further said: “Advantage Assam has always served as a catalyst for the region’s economic revival, providing businesses with a strategic platform to expand their trade and investment opportunities. With the immense support that Assam has received from our Prime Minister, we remain firmly committed to the holistic development of the economy of Assam and the Northeast. Among the various ongoing projects to enable inland waterways of Assam, we are also planning to transform the conventional vessels into Green Vessels under Harit Nauka scheme.” He added that this affirms the commitment of our government towards sustainable development, a milestone set by the dynamic leader PM Modi. “Given the immense potential of riverine tourism in the state, we are developing an ecosystem including infrastructure and fairway for smooth, regular and viable operations. You may be happy to know that the Dredging Corporation of India (DCI), with its rich experience of dredging at the sea, has been entrusted with dredging the NW2, for the first time on any river in India,” he added. Sonowal also announced the development of the Water Metro Service in Guwahati and Dhubri for an estimated investment of Rs. 315 crores. Based on the success of Kochi Metro Service, a feasibility study is being conducted for this. Sarbananda Sonowal also announced the deployment of two Electric Catamarans being built by Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL). A world-class cruise terminal will also be built in Guwahati with an estimated investment of Rs 100 crores. An investment of more than Rs, 646 crores has been earmarked to construct riverine infrastructure across Brahmaputra under the Sagarmala Scheme, the flagship programme of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways.