Northeast Floats into Focus: Govt Plans Crore-Wave Investment in Waterways

Government of India has made a ₹5,000 crore investment plan for the development of the waterways and maritime economy of the Northeast with the vision to realize the economic and logistical potential of the region. Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has rolled out the multi-faceted programme, which is infrastructure, skill development, and strategic connectivity-based.

 

Key Highlights

 

•⁠  ⁠In the last two years, ₹1,000 crore worth of projects have been undertaken in the inland waterways of the Northeast, of which ₹300 crore have been completed and ₹700 crore to be completed by 2025. The key projects are permanent cargo terminals at Pandu, Jogighopa, Dhubri, Bogibeel, Karimganj, and Badarpur, year-round fairway dredging, new approach road to Pandu port, and restoration of heritage in Dibrugarh.

 

•⁠  ⁠The scheme provides for induction of 100 barges of global logistics major Rhenus on National Waterways 2 (Brahmaputra) and 16 (Barak) by 2025 and acquisition of 10 amphibian and cutter suction dredgers at a cost of ₹610 crore to facilitate all-weather navigability.

 

•⁠  ⁠85 village jetties will be built in order to enable local connectivity, and ₹300 crore will be made available for tourism and cargo jetties at Silghat, Neamati, Biswanath Ghat, and Guijan, for river-based tourism and freight service development.

 

•⁠  ⁠The Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project connecting Sittwe port in Myanmar with Mizoram and Tripura will be a reality by 2027, greatly developing trade and strategic ties with Southeast Asia.

 

•⁠  ⁠Water Metro schemes for Guwahati, Tezpur, and Dibrugarh have been planned and feasibility reports have been prepared. IMD weather forecasting systems will be installed in lighthouses at Pandu, Tezpur, Biswanath, and Bogibeel. A major skill development initiative will provide maritime skills to 50,000 youngsters of the Northeast region in the next decade with the assistance of the Maritime Skill Development Centre at Guwahati and a new Centre of Excellence at Dibrugarh, which will create 500 jobs annually.

 

•⁠  ⁠This master plan aligns with the government's vision of the inclusive development and aims to make the Northeast a prominent waterways-based trade, tourism, and employment hub.

 

Sources: The Week, Economic Times Infra, Indian Express, India Today