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IWAI Seals ₹3,000-Crore Agreements to Scale Northeast Inland Waterways

Officials cast the push as a shift toward river-driven energy logistics for Assam.

Overview

  • An official statement said MoUs signed during India Maritime Week total about ₹3,000 crore to expand cargo movement and river-based mobility across the Northeast.
  • The package includes a ₹1,000-crore Brahmaputra water metro for Guwahati, Dibrugarh and Tezpur, with Kochi Metro Rail Ltd preparing the feasibility study and electric‑hybrid boats planned.
  • IWAI and Assam Petro-Chemicals Ltd signed a ₹400-crore MoU to move methanol and formalin via the Indo‑Bangladesh Protocol Route and national waterways, with tanker barges and operational support at Bogibeel, Pandu and Jogighopa.
  • Cargo capacity will be boosted by a ₹1,000-crore agreement with Rhenus Logistics for modern tug‑barges, a ₹500-crore river‑cruise MoU with Heritage River Journeys, a navigation-safety pact with the lighthouses authority, and ₹299 crore for cruise terminals in Assam.
  • Sarbananda Sonowal reviewed 15 priority and 10 CSS projects, cleared a concept study for an all‑weather approach road at Bogibeel, reported NW‑2 cargo nearing six lakh tonnes annually, and said 76 national waterways are expected to be operational by 2027.