Agartala : The Inland Waterways Authority of India has signed a set of agreements worth Rs.3,000 crore to strengthen inland water transport and industrial logistics in Assam and other Northeast states. The MoUs, concluded during India Maritime Week 2025, include partnerships with Assam Petro-Chemicals Ltd and the Assam government to expand cargo and passenger movement through key river routes.

One agreement focuses on transporting Methanol and Formalin through the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol Route and National Waterways. Assam Petro-Chemicals will invest Rs.400 crore in tanker vessels and ten flat-bottom barges, while IWAI will provide operational support at Bogibeel, Pandu, and Jogighopa terminals. The plan is expected to support exports to Bangladesh and Southeast Asia and reinforce domestic supply links.

A second MoU with the Assam government aims to set up an Urban Water Transport system in Tezpur, Guwahati, and Dibrugarh. The proposed Water Metro would use electric hybrid passenger boats, new terminals, and improved fairways along the Brahmaputra, connected to road and rail networks. Kochi Metro Rail Ltd is conducting the feasibility study, with the project cost estimated at Rs.1,000 crore excluding land.

During India Maritime Week, Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal reviewed ongoing and upcoming projects across Assam, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Tripura, Nagaland, and Meghalaya. The list includes 15 primary projects and 10 under the Central Sector Scheme, along with concept studies for an all-weather approach road at Bogibeel and new regional terminals.

IWAI also signed an agreement with Heritage River Journeys worth Rs.500 crore to expand river cruise tourism, and another with the Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships to improve navigation safety and tourism on National Waterway 2. A Rs.1,000 crore MoU with Rhenus Logistics will modernise tug-barge operations on the Ganga and Brahmaputra. Another Rs.299 crore has been set aside for new cruise terminals at Neamati, Silghat, Biswanath Ghat, and Guijan.

Projects under way across the Northeast cover new passenger and cargo terminals, floating jetties, river cruises, and tourism facilities. Combined investments are expected to cross Rs.5,000 crore.

Speaking at the event, Sonowal said the new agreements are a major step toward the government’s plan to turn the Northeast into a centre of inland waterway trade and connectivity. He said the region’s rivers are emerging as engines of economic opportunity and integration with national and international markets.

The initiatives mark a broad push to tap the economic potential of the Northeast’s waterways, strengthen transport links, and support both trade and tourism.

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