Sonowal Says Northeast Waterways Are Now the Backbone of Energy Transport

Overview

• Assam terminals at Pandu, Jogighopa, Dhubri, Bogibeel, Karimganj and Badarpur are serving as key cross-border trade nodes for petroleum and heavy consignments to Bangladesh and beyond.
• Annual cargo on the Sadiya–Dhubri stretch of National Waterway-2 is nearing six lakh tonnes, supported by faster turnaround and dependable navigation.
• A Rs 239-crore ship repair facility under development at Pandu is expected to cut costs by avoiding vessel trips to Kolkata through Bangladesh for maintenance.
• Year-round navigation enabled by dredging and fairway development now supports uninterrupted movement of heavy cargo, including over-dimensional loads to Numaligarh Refinery.
• The government reports roughly Rs 1,000 crore invested in Northeast inland waterway projects over two years and expects 76 national waterways to be operational by 2027.