The Union Minister of Ports,  Shipping & Waterways and Ayush, Sarbananda Sonowal launched  major push for the development of waterways with unveiling projects worth of 308 crores for North East region here today. The event was simultaneously held at Bogibeel in Dibrugarh, Badarpur in Karimganj, IWAI port in Dhubri as well as Sonamura in Tripura.

The Union Minister was joined by the Minister of Transport, Fisheries & Excise, Assam, Parimal Suklabaidya; the Minister of Health & Family Welfare, Information Technology, Assam, Keshab Mahanta; the MP (Lok Sabha) for Guwahati, Queen Oja while the Union Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Labour Employment, Govt of India, Rameshwar Teli joined in the programme from Dibrugarh. In Sonamura, the event was attended by the Minister of Transport, Tourism, & Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs, Tripura, Sushanta Chowdhury among other dignitaries. At Pandu, the event was also graced by the MLA of Guwahati East, Siddhartha Bhattachayya, the Mayor of Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC), Mrigen Sarania; the Deputy Mayor of Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC), Smita Roy, the Chairman, IWAI, Vijay Kumar; the Vice Chairman of IWAI, Sunil Kumar Singh, along with prominent social worker Tapan Das among other dignitaries. In Dibrugarh, the event was also graced by the Chairman, All Assam Industrial Corporation (AIDC) and MLA, Dibrugarh, Prasanta Phukan; the MLA of Moran, Chakradhar Gogoias well as the MLA of Chabua, Ponakan Baruah.

Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurated Passenger-cum-Cargo terminal at Bogibeel near Dibrugarh, Inland Water Transport Terminal at Sonamura in Tripura and upgraded terminals at Karimganj & Badarpur in Assam here today. This terminal will play a pivotal role in rejuvenating IWT in the region for both cargo and passenger movement, paving the way for growth of trade & commerce.

The Ports, Shipping & Waterways Minister also laid foundation stones for construction of Custom Immigration Office in Dhubri as well as construction of the compound wall for IWAI Jogighopa terminal. The newly inaugurated Bogibeel terminal is being built with an investment of nearly ?50 crores. This project includes cargo & passenger berths, approach & other internal roads, transit shed, open storage area, truck parking area, passenger waiting area.It will also lead to increase in eco-tourism as well as improve the economies of scale for existing major trade like tea, polymer, coal, fertiliser among others. The length of this terminal will be extended to 100 metres and the construction will start immediately.An integrated officer for Immigration, Customs & IWAI at Bogibeel is also being constructed at a cost of ?18 Crores.A project for bank protection and Extension of jetty at Bogibeel Terminal at a cost of ?12 Cr would also be initiated immediately.

The IWT terminal at Sonamura is developed with an investment of ?6.91 crores. The upgraded terminals at Karimganj and Badarpur was completed with an investment of ?6.40 crores. The IWT Terminal at Sonamura has the potential to attract trans-boundary trade including commodities like bagged cement, horticulture, consumer products and other local goods transported via road between India and Bangladesh. This jetty is also being developed as a multi-purpose jetty to support movement of passengers on ferries between the two countries. The renovated and upgraded terminals at Karimganj and Badarpur will further easy and increase the export activities & commodities.The projects have major influence in districts of Cachar, Karimganj & Hailakandi in Assam and adjoining states of Mizoram, Tripura, Manipur and Meghalaya due to the presence of cement industry, stone crushers, coal deposits, food processing units, tea estates, etc.

Speaking on the occasion, the Union Minister, Sarbananda Sonowal said, “Under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister shri Narendra Modi ji, our rich and complex web of waterways are being developed with major projects launched here today. Modi Ki Guarantee is powering the waterways of the North East towards Viksit Bharat. The terminals at Bogibeel will act as a catalyst of economic development for the region, further amplifying trade opportunities for upper Assam as well as Arunachal Pradesh. The Sonamura terminal in Tripura will further trans-boundary trade between India and Bangladesh. The Karimganj and Badarpur terminals will also power trade opportunities. All these projects will go a long way towards realising the vision of Narendra Modi ji towards the North east acting as the powerhouse of India’s growth towards becoming Viksit Bharat.”

The Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal also laid foundation stones for construction of Customs Immigration Office in Dhubri with an investment of ?7.5 crores. The construction of boundary wall will also start at Jogighopa terminal in Goalpara, Assam. The wall for IWAI Jogighopa terminal, which is being built at a cost of ?18 Crore, will secure the terminal. 6 Tourist jetties in NER at a cost of ?8.45 Cr. at Jogighopa, Tejpur, Bishwanathghat, Neamati, Sadiya, Bindakota would also be constructed. Three of these has already been provided and rest of the three will be provided soon. This project is introduced to upgrade the existing infrastructure along NW-2 and recognising the huge potential for cargo, passenger transportation, riverine tourism.

Two Electric Catamarans at Guwahati will be deployed in Guwahati by August, 2024. The Electric Catamarans, developed by Cochin Shipyard Limited at a cost of ?36Crores, will enhance communication facilities for the people of Guwahati.The 50 pax Electric Hybrid Catamaran will be used for cross river ferry and pilgrim tourism at Guwahati. It will improve the economies of scale for existing major trade like coal, stone chips, polymer, fertiliser etc through IBP route and from Bhutan through waterways and also encourage employment & economic growth. 19 passenger vessels for NW-2 & NW-16 would be provided and two Pontoon Terminals on NW-2 would be constructed at a cost of ?25 crores.

Announcing new major initiatives for the development of waterways in the region, the Union Minister, Sarbananda Sonowal, said, “It gives me immense pleasure to share with all of you that we have decided to deploy 6 tourist jetties on the National Waterways 2; i.e. River Brahmaputra. We have also decided to deploy 2 Electric Hybrid Catamaran at Guwahati which will ease passenger to commute between the two banks along Brahmaputra. Towards achieving Modiji’s vision of a powerful North East region, I am happy to share that Dredging Corporation of India will commence dredging operations in the North East region. These initiatives will power our waterways towards transforming North East to become the powerhouse of India’s growth story towards becoming a Viksit Bharat, a vision of PM Narendra Modi.”

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