India Unveils Rs 50 Billion Push For Northeast Waterways
PORTS & SHIPPING

India Unveils Rs 50 Billion Push For Northeast Waterways

The Union Government has earmarked about Rs 50 billion to accelerate waterways and maritime development across the Northeast, Union Ports, Shipping & Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal announced. Over the past 11 years the ministry has nearly doubled national port capacity, placed nine ports in the World Bank’s top 100 and propelled cruise tourism, green shipping reforms and digital port systems.

Skills and jobs
A Maritime Skill Development Centre in Guwahati and a Centre of Excellence in Dibrugarh—built for roughly Rs 2 billion—will train 50,000 youth over the next decade, creating 500 maritime jobs each year.

Inland waterway upgrades

  • Projects worth Rs 10 billion are under way on the Brahmaputra and Barak rivers: permanent terminals at Pandu, Jogighopa, Dhubri, Bogibeel, Karimganj and Badarpur; year round dredging; new road access to Pandu Port; and heritage restoration in Dibrugarh. About Rs 3 billion of works are finished, with the balance due by 2025.
  • Tourist jetties worth nearly Rs 2.99 billion are being built, while 85 community jetties will widen local river links.
  • Ten amphibian and cutter section dredgers, backed by Rs 6.1 billion, will ensure all weather navigability, complemented by 100 modern barges to enter service by 2025.
Tourism and urban transport
  • Rs 3 billion is allocated for new tourism and cargo jetties at Silghat, Neamati, Biswanath Ghat and Guijan. Water Metro systems are planned for Guwahati, Tezpur and Dibrugarh, with feasibility studies completed.
  • Lighthouses equipped with IMD weather stations will rise at Pandu, Tezpur, Biswanath and Bogibeel.
Regional connectivity
Sonowal confirmed the Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport Project, linking Sittwe Port in Myanmar to Mizoram, remains on track for full commissioning by 2027. The route will shorten access from the Northeast to international sea lanes and boost trade with Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and Southeast Asia.
The minister said these initiatives align with the Prime Minister’s ‘Act East’ agenda and aim to make India a global maritime powerhouse while delivering inclusive growth across riverine and coastal communities.

The Union Government has earmarked about Rs 50 billion to accelerate waterways and maritime development across the Northeast, Union Ports, Shipping & Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal announced. Over the past 11 years the ministry has nearly doubled national port capacity, placed nine ports in the World Bank’s top 100 and propelled cruise tourism, green shipping reforms and digital port systems.Skills and jobsA Maritime Skill Development Centre in Guwahati and a Centre of Excellence in Dibrugarh—built for roughly Rs 2 billion—will train 50,000 youth over the next decade, creating 500 maritime jobs each year.Inland waterway upgradesProjects worth Rs 10 billion are under way on the Brahmaputra and Barak rivers: permanent terminals at Pandu, Jogighopa, Dhubri, Bogibeel, Karimganj and Badarpur; year round dredging; new road access to Pandu Port; and heritage restoration in Dibrugarh. About Rs 3 billion of works are finished, with the balance due by 2025.Tourist jetties worth nearly Rs 2.99 billion are being built, while 85 community jetties will widen local river links.Ten amphibian and cutter section dredgers, backed by Rs 6.1 billion, will ensure all weather navigability, complemented by 100 modern barges to enter service by 2025.Tourism and urban transportRs 3 billion is allocated for new tourism and cargo jetties at Silghat, Neamati, Biswanath Ghat and Guijan. Water Metro systems are planned for Guwahati, Tezpur and Dibrugarh, with feasibility studies completed.Lighthouses equipped with IMD weather stations will rise at Pandu, Tezpur, Biswanath and Bogibeel.Regional connectivitySonowal confirmed the Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport Project, linking Sittwe Port in Myanmar to Mizoram, remains on track for full commissioning by 2027. The route will shorten access from the Northeast to international sea lanes and boost trade with Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and Southeast Asia.The minister said these initiatives align with the Prime Minister’s ‘Act East’ agenda and aim to make India a global maritime powerhouse while delivering inclusive growth across riverine and coastal communities.

Next Story
Infrastructure Urban

TBO Tek Q2 Profit Climbs 12%, Revenue Surges 26% YoY

TBO Tek Limited one of the world’s largest travel distribution platforms, reported a solid performance for Q2 FY26 with a 26 per cent year-on-year increase in revenue to Rs 5.68 billion, reflecting broad-based growth and improving profitability.The company recorded a Gross Transaction Value (GTV) of Rs 8,901 crore, up 12 per cent YoY, driven by strong performance across Europe, MEA, and APAC regions. Adjusted EBITDA before acquisition-related costs stood at Rs 1.04 billion, up 16 per cent YoY, translating into an 18.32 per cent margin compared to 16.56 per cent in Q1 FY26. Profit after tax r..

Next Story
Infrastructure Energy

Northern Graphite, Rain Carbon Secure R&D Grant for Greener Battery Materials

Northern Graphite Corporation and Rain Carbon Canada Inc, a subsidiary of Rain Carbon Inc, have jointly received up to C$860,000 (€530,000) in funding under the Canada–Germany Collaborative Industrial Research and Development Programme to develop sustainable battery anode materials.The two-year, C$2.2 million project aims to transform natural graphite processing by-products into high-performance, battery-grade anode material (BAM). Supported by the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Programme (NRC IRAP) and Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs a..

Next Story
Infrastructure Urban

Antony Waste Q2 Revenue Jumps 16%; Subsidiary Wins Rs 3,200 Cr WtE Projects

Antony Waste Handling Cell Limited (AWHCL), a leading player in India’s municipal solid waste management sector, announced a 16 per cent year-on-year increase in total operating revenue to Rs 2.33 billion for Q2 FY26. The growth was driven by higher waste volumes, escalated contracts, and strong operational execution.EBITDA rose 18 per cent to Rs 570 million, with margins steady at 21.6 per cent, while profit after tax stood at Rs 173 million, up 13 per cent YoY. Revenue from Municipal Solid Waste Collection and Transportation (MSW C&T) reached Rs 1.605 billion, and MSW Processing re..

Advertisement

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Get daily newsletters around different themes from Construction world.

STAY CONNECTED

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement