Union Minister of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, visited the Noida Head Office of the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI). During his visit, Sonowal was briefed on the status of the 111 National Waterways in the country, emphasising the role of inland waterways as a sustainable transportation mode complementing roadways and railways.
In discussions with senior IWAI officials, Minister Sonowal highlighted the importance of developing national waterways and significantly increasing passenger and freight movement on them. He praised efforts to promote river cruise tourism and initiatives like the introduction of Hybrid Electric Catamaran vessels and the country’s first Hydrogen Vessel.
Sonowal reviewed the progress of the World Bank-funded Jal Marg Vikas Project (JMVP) on National Waterway (NW) 1 – River Ganga. The Authority is enhancing infrastructure by constructing Multi-Modal Terminals at Varanasi, Sahibganj, and Haldia, and an Inter-Modal Terminal at Kalughat to facilitate freight movement and improve connectivity. IWAI is also installing community jetties to benefit communities along the river Ganga.
“MoPSW is committed to developing a robust inland water transport system. Enhancing India’s national waterways aims to boost economic growth and ensure efficient, sustainable transportation, aligning with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a ‘New India’ with world-class infrastructure,” said Sonowal.
The minister unveiled a five-year action plan for developing new national waterways, promoting river cruises through targeted campaigns to boost tourism. He emphasised collaboration with Northeastern Region (NER) states and addressed human resource issues, proposing innovative solutions for expediting Inland Water Transport (IWT) work in Goa, Maharashtra, and Gujarat.
Sonowal assessed interventions to promote IWT activities in the North Eastern Region, especially NW 2, 16, and 31, i.e., Brahmaputra, Barak, and Dhansiri rivers in Assam. Initiatives to improve regional connectivity with neighboring countries like Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, and Myanmar were also evaluated. IWAI showcased technological advancements like PANI, RIS, CAR-D, and future projects such as the Central Database and National River Traffic and Navigation System.
As a symbol of growth, Sonowal planted a sapling at IWAI’s premises. Notably, cargo movement on national waterways has increased to over 133 million tons, recording a CAGR growth of 22.1% from FY 2014 to FY 2024. IWAI aims to increase the modal share of freight movement through IWT from 2% to 5% and traffic volume to more than 200 MMT by 2030, and 500 MMT by 2047, aligning with the Maritime India Vision 2030 and Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047. An investment of ₹45,000 crore for river cruise tourism is planned, with ₹35,000 crore for cruise vessels and ₹10,000 crore for terminal infrastructure by 2047. For cargo trade, an investment of ₹15,200 crore was committed at the Global Maritime India Summit (GMIS) in October 2023. This is expected to increase cargo volume to 500 MTPA by 2047. The Harit Nauka Guidelines promote environmentally friendly passenger transport through low-emission fuels for inland vessel operations.
