Centre granted 1100 Cr for 25 Inland Waterways projects in NE : Sonowal

NEW DELHI : Union Minister of Shipping, Ports and Waterways and Ayush Shri Sarbananda Sonowal said more than Rs 1100 crore was granted for the development of 25 Inland Waterways projects in the NE region.

Shri Sonowal, directed officials to accord top priority to critical projectsof his ministries in the northeast and ensure their completion by January 2024. The minister was chairing a review meeting here of ongoing projects of his ministries in the northeastern region.

Of the 25 inland waterways projects in the region, 15 programmes worth Rs 850 crore were granted for Assam, Sonowal said.

In addition, permanent jetties at Bogibeel in Dibrugarh, and renovation of a jetty at Badarpur in Karimganj would also be completed while one permanent jetty being constructed at Sonamura in Tripura was also likely to be completed within the timeframe, he said. The minister also reviewed the progress of work on 15 floating jetties in the Brahmaputra and 15 jetties in the Barak river.

He also directed officials of the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) to regularly dredge 88 identified shallow passages on the Brahmaputra river to ensure smooth passage of ships. “Taking Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Transformation via Transportation’ forward, we have identified critical projects in the region that will be operational by January 2024,” he added.