Rejuvenated Inland Waterways to propel India's logistics growth, to advance PM's vision of 'Viksit Bharat': Sarbananda Sonowal

"Under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the waterways transportation has been undergoing a tremendous transformation propelling India's logistics growth, propelling us towards PM Modi's vision of 'Viksit Bharat'," Sonowal said.

The Union Minister on Tuesday inaugurated the Inland Waterways Terminal (IWT) at Jogighopa as he dedicated to the people of the nation at Jogighopa in Assam's Bongaigaon district.

Marking the occasion, a ship with two barges was flagged off MV Trishul, along with Barges Ajay & Dikshu, by the Union Minister with 110 metric tonnes of coal along with stone chips to Bangladesh. The foundation stone for the Terminal was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in February, 2021.

The terminal holds strategic importance as it is located at a distance of 91 km from Gelephu in Bhutan, 108 km from Bangladesh border and 147 Km from Guwahati. This makes it crucial for our bilateral trade ties with Bangladesh and Bhutan.

The Jogighopa terminal is also one of the declared Ports of call under PIWT&T between India and Bangladesh. By the year 2027, this terminal is expected handle cargo of 1.1 million tonnes per annum.

The MV Padma Navigation II ship along with Barges Ajay and Dikshu are carrying 110 Metric Tonnes of Coal, while MV Trishul is carrying Stone Chips to Bangladesh.

Speaking on the occasion, the Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, said that, today marks a historic day for the waterways transportation sector in the country as we dedicate the IWT Terminal at Jogighopa to the people and to the nation.

"The IWT terminal at Jogighopa is set to transform the connectivity in the region and bolster our trilateral trade with Bhutan and Bangladesh. Its strategic position allows it to play the role of an economic multiplier for the region, a testament to PM Narendra Modi's doctrine of 'Neighbourhood First', " Sonowal said.

Through strategic regional projects and agreements with neighbouring countries such as Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar and others, India is diligently establishing itself as a pivotal waterway gateway for the facilitation of enhanced regional trade and seamless transport connectivity thus contributing to the overall development and integration of South Asia, while ensuring the sustainability and vitality of the region's economic landscape.

Built at a cost of more than Rs 82 crore, the Jogighopa terminal has an RCC jetty with an RCC approach designed for Electric Level Luffing (ELL) crane for cargo handling.

The terminal also has infrastructural facilities such as administrative building, customs office building, immigration office, truck parking area, 1100 sq m covered storage area with power back up, and 11,000 sq m open storage.

Highlighting the role of inland waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal said, "The development of inland waterways holds great promise for transforming the logistics sector in India. By leveraging our extensive network of rivers and water bodies, we can create a sustainable, cost-effective, and efficient mode of transportation for goods. Under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji, the government has brought in many path breaking legislations like National Waterways Act, 2016, Inland Vessels Act, 2021 and others have been promulgated to empower and enable the ecosystem of inland waterways transportation for both cargo and passenger traffic."

In the Northeast, projects such as Comprehensive Development of NW-2, Ship repair facility at Pandu, Bogibeel Terminal development, last mile connectivity to Pandu are some of the projects which are currently in different stages of development.

With huge investments are envisaged for development of North-Eastern waterways, it stands as a resounding testament to the critical role of these waterways in propelling economic growth and prosperity. Operationalisation of the new IWT Terminal at Jogighopa will be a step in that direction.

Speaking on the role of IWT Jogighopa in Assam's as well as the as the Northeast India's economic development, Sarbananda Sonowal said that, under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Northeast has transformed into a growth multiplier with Assam spearheading this transformation.

"As we cruise towards realising the vision of Viksit Bharat, the immense potential of the Northeast has a major role to play. With our rich and complex inter web of riverine system with the Brahmaputra (National Waterways 2) playing a crucial role, the government has been developing infrastructure as well as curating an ecosystem to support the development of Inland Waterways transportation in the region. We are confident that the Inland Waterways as part of PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan will enable the economic and trade elements of our economy towards becoming an Atmanirbhar Bharat by 2047," Sonowal said.

The IWT sector has experienced an unprecedented surge in terms of trade and transport in the past decade. There has been a 767% increase in number of operational national waterways, 727% increase in volume of cargo handled on NWs, a phenomenal rise of 62% in multimodal terminals with an 860 per cent increase in budget allocation for Inland Waterways.

Cargo traffic on national waterways has witnessed an exponential growth in the last ten years - from 18 million tonnes a decade ago to 133 million tonnes in FY 2023-24 at a CAGR of over 22 per cent.

Inland Waterways also holds significance for the tourism sector. The historic journey of MV Ganga Vilas explained the potential of cruise tourism being the 'World's Longest River Cruise' and travelling through 27 different river systems, 5 states and two countries.

Substantial growth has been made in last one decade in river cruise tourism sector. The number of river cruise vessels has increased from 3 in 2013-14 to 25 in 2023-24.

The average annual spending in the IWT Sector increased from a meagre Rs 58 crore per year for 28 years from 1986 till 2014, to Rs 648 crore per year during the last 11 years from 2014 till December 2024.

A World class river cruise terminal is being developed in Guwahati as a one stop solution for passengers on their voyage along the rivers.

In addition, development of 4 dedicated river cruise terminals at Silghat, Bishwanath ghat, Neamati and Guijan are being developed with adequate offshore facilities and modern amenities.

PM Narendra Modi-led government has also launched the 'Cruise Bharat Mission' to boost cruise tourism in India over the next five years, aiming to establish 10 sea cruise terminals, 100 river cruise terminals, and five marinas.

The mission seeks to double cruise calls and passengers, strengthen regional alliances, and significantly increase sea and river cruise travellers by 2029, enhancing tourism and connectivity across the country.

The government has also brought in major legislative reforms such as the enactment of National Waterways Act 2016 declaring 111 national waterways and Inland Vessels Act 2021 with an aim to streamline the safe and smooth movement of the vessels across the country.

IWAI has envisaged to strengthen urban water transport system to develop water metro projects across 18 cities in 12 states -- including one in Guwahati -- to replicate Kochi Water Metro model, announced Sarbananda Sonowal. (ANI)