Sarbananda Sonowal launches major projects for development of waterways in North East states of Assam and Tripura
Inaugurates Passenger-cum-Cargo
Terminal at Bogibeel near Dibrugarh, Inland Water Transport Terminal at
Sonamura in Tripura and upgraded terminals at Karimganj & Badarpur in Assam
19
passenger vessels for NW2 & NW16 to be provided;2 Pontoon terminals on NW-2
at cost of ₹25 crore
“Dredging Corporation of India to commence dredging operations in North East”: Sonowal
"Modi Ki Guarantee is powering waterways of North East towards Viksit
Bharat”: Sonowal
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 crore for North East region Guwahati 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.
The Minister 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.
He 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
crore. 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 Crore. 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 crore.
The upgraded terminals at Karimganj and Badarpur was completed with an
investment of ₹6.40 crore. 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,
Sonowal said, “Under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi 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 also
laid foundation stones for construction of Customs Immigration Office in Dhubri
with an investment of ₹7.5 crore. 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 ₹36 crore, 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 crore.
Announcing new major
initiatives for the development of waterways in the region, 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 Narendra Modiji.
These
transformative projects, under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister
Narendra Modi ji, will mark a new era of connectivity and prosperity for the
Northeast region, furthering the ‘Act East’ policy of Modi government. These
initiatives reflect Modiji’s unwavering commitment to drive inclusive growth
and development in the region, delivering on the vision of Modi ji ‘Sabka Sath,
Sabka Vikas’.”
The tourist jetties will
enhance the existing infrastructure along Brahmaputra (NW2) further bolstering
the promising tourism industry of the state. These jetties are being built an
investment of ₹8.45 crore. The Electric Hybrid Catamarans, which are being
deployed in Guwahati with an investment of ₹36 crore, will introduce Green
energy in inland waterways.
The
Dredging Corporation of India (DCI), India’s premier institution dedicated
towards dredging operations, will commence operations on rivers Brahmaputra (NW
2) and Barak (NW 16). The dredging operations in NER in the Dhubri-Jogighopa
stretch of NW-2, Dhubri-Hatsingimari, North Guwahati-South Guwahati, Neamati-
Kamlabari and Lakhipur-Bhanga on NW-16 will be done at a cost of ₹124 crore.
This project will help maintain constant and adequate draft and help seamless
movement of cargo and passengers in the National Waterways of North-East.
Elaborating the scope of
work proposed to be done for furthering the strength of waterways, Sarbananda
Sonowal said, “Our Cabinet under the visionary leadership of the Prime Minister
recently approved the signing of the BIMSTEC Agreement on Maritime Transport
Cooperation. This Agreement in the spirit of our Neighborhood First Policy will
herald seamless movement of water-borne cargo amongst the seven BIMSTEC
countries.
This
Agreement will result in enhanced trade and commerce, reduced logistic costs as
a result of removal of administrative and procedural delays, increase in
manufacturing and enhanced employment opportunities. We have also adopted a
Roadmap for River Cruise Tourism for developing multiple other routes for
cruise tourism on other National Waterways. ₹45,000 Crore would be spent for
development of River Cruise Tourism in the coming years. This shows the immense
potential that rests in the 20,000 kilometres long and vibrant inland waterways
of our country. IWT sector is also witnessing environment friendly green
initiatives viz. development of electric catamarans, Hydrogen Powered Catamaran
Pax Vessels etc.
The
initial target is to support transition of 1,000 Vessels, ferries and boats
over the next 10 years and eventually achieving the target of all Green Vessels
by 2047. This stand as a resounding testament to the critical role of these
waterways in propelling economic growth and prosperity. There has been a 700%
increase in operational national waterways, from only 3 in 2014 to 24
Operational National Waterways today, a phenomenal rise of 56% in multimodal
terminals and a 200% increase in investments in National Waterways. The IWT
sector is experiencing an unprecedented surge in terms of trade and transport
since 2014. During the last 10 years under the visionary leadership of Prime
Minister Shri Narendra Modi, we have made remarkable efforts to develop and
explore the full potential of our 20,000 kilometres long Inland Waterways
sector.”
The strategic significance
is underscored by a substantial investment of over ₹1,000 crore in the past
couple of years dedicated to advancement of these waterways in the North-East Projects
such as Comprehensive development of NW-2, Ship repair facility at Pandu (₹208
Cr), Jogighopa IWT terminal (₹64 Cr), last mile connectivity to Pandu port
through alternative road from Pandu Port to NH-27 (₹180 Cr) are some of the
projects that are already underway. IWAI has endeavoured to develop NW-1,
passing through the states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal,
as a reliable cargo logistics route under ₹5,000 crore under Jal Marg Vikas
Project (JMVP). From 2013-14 onwards, the cargo movement has increased in the
last decade from a mere 6.89Million Ton in 2014 to 126.15 Million tonnes in
2022-23, showing a mammoth growth of 1,700%.
Under
the Sagarmala program, aimed at the development of the
North-Eastern states, projects exceeding ₹1,000 crore have been initiated, with
a particular focus on enhancing inland waterways in Assam, where projects
exceeding ₹760 crore are underway.
The Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047 of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and
Waterways (MoPSW) prioritizes the expansion of port infrastructure, including
the development of six mega ports with capacities exceeding 300 and 500 million
tonnes per annum (MTPA). Additionally, MoPSW aims to boost the share of Inland
Water Transport (IWT) to 5% by 2030 as part of the Maritime India Vision (MIV), signaling a comprehensive effort towards
fostering maritime sector growth and connectivity enhancement.