Center spending Rs 1,010 crore on Barak River and Brahmaputra projects
India’s Major Investment in Inland Waterways for Cargo, Passenger Movement, and River Tourism in Assam
India is investing a huge amount of money to improve the rivers of Assam for better travel and tourism. The total cost of the development is expected to be around Rs 1,010 crores. This investment is aimed at improving the Brahmaputra and Barak rivers. A part of this plan also includes the development of the Barak River and Indo-Bangladesh Protocol Route (IBPR) under National Waterway 16 (NW16), with a sanctioned cost of Rs 148 crores.
The Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways in India, headed by Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, is in charge of this project. This includes several important developments in Assam, such as building floating terminals, multimodal terminals, and providing better river tourism options for the state.
A major announcement by the Minister was about a new slipway at Majuli, which is a place in Assam known for its beautiful environment. The slipway will cost Rs 96.60 crores to build. The slipway will help in the development of river transport, making it easier for ships to come and go. The slipway will be built as part of the Sagarmala program, which is a government project aimed at boosting water-based transportation in India.
There are also plans to improve the infrastructure for cargo and passenger movement on the Brahmaputra River. This includes 12 floating terminals and 2 multimodal terminals in Pandu and Jogighopa. Additionally, there will be 2 permanent terminals built at Bogibeel and Dhubri. These terminals are part of the efforts to make river travel safer and more efficient. The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) is responsible for maintaining the fairway, which is the safe path that ships follow while traveling. The fairway needs to have the right depth to allow cruise ships to pass through easily.
A very interesting part of the project is the development of river-based tourism. The Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways, along with the Assam Tourism Development Corporation (ATDC), and other partners, has signed an agreement to develop a “Riverine Based Religious Tourism Circuit.” This project will connect seven important religious sites in Assam, including temples like Kamakhya, Pandunath, Ashwaklanta, Doul Govinda, Umananda, Chakreshwar, and Auniati Satra. The plan is to provide watercraft services that will allow tourists to hop on and off at these religious sites via the river, making it an exciting and unique way to explore Assam’s spiritual heritage.
The development of the Brahmaputra and Barak rivers also includes the construction of a ship repair facility at Pandu. This will cost around Rs 388 crores and is already more than 60% complete. The project also includes the building of an approach road to Pandu Port, which will connect it to NH27. In addition to this, there are plans to build floating jetties for tourism in various parts of Assam, including Bogibeel, Pandu, Silghat, Biswanath Ghat, Neamati, and Guijan. The Indian Port Rail & Ropeway Construction Limited (IPRCL) is in charge of building four steel tourist jetties in these locations.
A big part of this effort also focuses on maintaining the rivers for safe ship navigation. The fairway is regularly dredged to keep the required depth for vessels. Regular surveys are done to check the depth of the river, and if the water is too shallow, dredging work is carried out to fix it.
This large-scale investment and development are expected to not only improve transport and tourism but also create many job opportunities in Assam. These projects will make Assam a hub for river travel, tourism, and trade, benefitting both the local population and the national economy.
