India's First Riverine Lighthouses Laid on Brahmaputra

10 Mar 2026 CW Team

The Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, laid foundation stones for four river lighthouses on the Brahmaputra at Lachit Ghat in Guwahati. The ceremony was organised by the Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships (DGLL) and the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways. The project marks the first deployment of lighthouse infrastructure on an inland waterway in the country.

The four sites at Bogibeel, Pandu, Silghat and Biswanath Ghat are positioned at strategic points along National Waterway two. The combined project outlay is Rs 840 million (840 mn) for the four lighthouses. Each tower will be 20 metres high, have a geographical range of 14 nautical miles and a luminous range of eight to 10 nautical miles, and will be powered entirely by solar energy.

The lighthouses will include museums, amphitheatres, cafeterias, children's play areas, souvenir shops and landscaped public spaces to promote tourism alongside navigation. Their commissioning responds to a 53 per cent surge in cargo movement on the Brahmaputra in the financial year 2024–25, making the corridor integral to Assam's tea, coal and fertiliser supply chains as well as passenger services. The facilities are expected to enable 24×7 safe navigation, host weather sensors and support sustained growth of freight and passenger movement.

The initiative followed a feasibility exercise, an MoU between IWAI and DGLL signed on 8 April 2025 and site transfers under Right of Use agreements in June 2025. Each lighthouse is scheduled for completion within 24 months of contract award after geotechnical investigation, topographic survey and detailed design. The DGLL is responsible for aids to navigation across India's 11,098 kilometre coastline and IWAI administers a national waterways network spanning over 20,000 kilometres, with National Waterway two covering 891 kilometres from Dhubri to Sadiya.

Technology

29 Jul 2026

AI-Enabled Workflows Lift Profitability and Productivity

Organisations modernising frontline workflows with artificial intelligence, automation and real-time data are reporting stronger financial performance, higher productivity and improved employee engagement, according to a global study by Zebra Technologies and Oxford Economics.The research covered 1,000 senior leaders across retail, manufacturing, transportation and logistics in the US, Mexico, the UK, Germany, India, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.In transportation and logistics, 54 per cent of companies that improved picking and packing operations reported faster operational performance, wh..

India Leads Global AI Readiness but Implementation Lags

Indian companies lead global averages across all eight artificial intelligence readiness indicators tracked by JLL, but only 19 per cent have started making changes to their workplaces, according to the JLL 2026 Future of Work Survey.The study found that 77 per cent of Indian business leaders expect AI to change their office requirements, creating a 58-percentage-point gap between awareness and implementation. The survey covered more than 2,200 CEOs, CFOs and real estate leaders across 21 countries during the first quarter of 2026.Despite concerns over automation, 58 per cent of Indian leaders..

Three WOLFF Cranes Build Riyadh Cable-Stayed Bridges

Three WOLFF 180 B luffing jib cranes are supporting the construction of two cable-stayed bridges alongside the existing Wadi Laban Bridge in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The project is being developed for the Royal Commission for Riyadh City and executed by the ICRC joint venture comprising IC Ictas and Al Rashid Trading & Contracting Company.The cranes are handling lifting operations including formwork, reinforcement, concrete placement, work platforms, surveying equipment and other construction materials. Each crane is fitted with a 40 m jib, reaches a hook height of 157 m and offers a maximum ..