The projects included a passenger-cargo terminal at
Bogibeel near Dibrugarh in eastern Assam, an inland water transport terminal at
Sonamura in Tripura, and upgraded terminals at Karimganj and Badarpur in
southern Assam.
Mr. Sonowal also
laid the foundation stones for the construction of a Customs immigration office at a terminal in western Assam’s Jogighopa besides announcing the
deployment of six tourist jetties on the Brahmaputra river (National Waterway
2) and two electric hybrid catamarans in Guwahati by August.
“The terminal at Bogibeel will act as a catalyst of
economic development for the region, further amplifying trade opportunities for
eastern Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. The Sonamura terminal in Tripura will
further trans-boundary trade between India and Bangladesh,” he said at an
official programme at Pandu Port in Guwahati.
The event was held simultaneously at Bogibeel,
Badarpur, Dhubri, and Sonamura.
“All these projects, including the Karimganj and
Badarpur terminals, will go a long way towards realising the vision of Prime
Minister Narendra Modi to make the northeast the powerhouse of India’s growth,”
Mr. Sonowal said.
The Union Minister pointed out that the economy of the
northeast was dependent largely on inland water transport before India’s
Independence. Apart from the losing access to the seaports, the rivers became
shallow over the years due to siltation. “The
Dredging Corporation of India will soon commence dredging operations in the
region to power our waterways,” he said, adding that dredging would make the
rivers navigable even during the dry months.
Mr. Sonowal further said 19 passenger vessels would be
provided for the rivers Brahmaputra and Barak (National Waterway 16), and two
pontoon terminals would be constructed on the Brahmaputra at a cost of ₹25
crore.
The electric catamarans, developed by the Cochin
Shipyard Limited, are expected to enhance passenger transport on the
Brahmaputra apart from “improving the economics of scale for existing trade in
coal, stone chips, polymer, and fertiliser through the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol
Route and from Bhutan”.