Overview

• The cargo trial on NW-57’s 46-km Kopili stretch was completed on August 2, ending a ten-year suspension of intrastate waterborne freight in Assam.
• Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal flagged off MV VV Giri’s 300-tonne cement shipment from Govardhan Bridge in Chandrapur to Hatsingimari in South Salmara-Mankachar district.
• The vessel traversed a 300-km route via the Kopili and Brahmaputra rivers in 12–14 hours to demonstrate operational feasibility.
• Shifting 23 truckloads of cement to the river route highlighted potential reductions in logistics costs, road congestion, and emissions.
• The trial raises Assam’s active waterways to 1,168 km across four rivers, advancing national multimodal transport and sustainability goals under Maritime India Vision 2030 and PM Gati Shakti.