Guwahati: Union ports, shipping & waterways and Ayush minister Sarbananda Sonowal in presence of State chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday received the self-propelled cargo vessel named MV Lal Bahadur Shastri in Pandu port in the city, which carried a total of 200 metric ton of food grains for Food Corporation of India. The maiden journey began in Patna of Bihar and after covering a distance of 2,350 kilometers, the cargo vessel arrived in Pandu to begin a new era of inland water transportation in eastern India.
MV Lal Bahadur Shastri started its journey on national waterway-1 (river Ganga) and passed through Bhagalpur, Manihari, Sahibganj, Farakka, Tribeni, Kolkata, Haldia, Hemnagar, Indo-Bangladesh protocol route through Khulna, Narayanganj, Sirajganj, Chilmari and finally entered Assam on national waterway-2 (river Brahmaputra) through Dhubri and Jogighopa. Another vessel named MV Ram Prasad Bismil with two barges (Kalpana Chawla and APJ Abdul Kalam) carrying 1800 metric ton steel started its voyage from Haldia last month and is presently on its way to Pandu.
Speaking on the occasion, Sonowal commented that the new passage is going to provide the business community a viable, economic & ecological alternative. The seamless cargo transportation is a journey of unfulfilled desires & aspirations of the people of Assam. The cargo movement via waterways is expected to play a pivotal role in energising the north-eastern region, said the minister.
CM Sarma opined that the cargo movement through the Indo-Bangladesh protocol route marks the beginning of a new age of economic prosperity for the whole north-eastern region. “I am confident that the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modiji and the enterprise of Union minister Sonowal Dangoriya will pave the way for growth & development of inland water transport,” he added.
Inland Waterways Authority of India chairman Sanjay Bandopadhyay informed that they are planning to run a regular scheduled service on the route comprising Bangladesh waterways and to improve the navigability, two stretches (Sirajganj-Daikhowa and Ashuganj-Zakiganj) are being developed at a cost of rupees 305.84 crores on an 80:20 share basis (80% borne by India and 20% by Bangladesh). Guwahati Parliamentarian Queen Oja, Syama Prasad Mookerjee port chairman Vinit Kumar with other dignitaries were also present in the function.
