India Unveils Rs 50 Billion Push For Northeast Waterways

08 Jul 2025 CW Team

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.

Infrastructure Transport

09 Jan 2026

India Becomes First to Produce Bio-Bitumen for Roads

India has become the first country in the world to commercially produce bio-bitumen for use in road construction, according to Road, Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari. Bitumen, a black and viscous hydrocarbon derived from crude oil, is a key binding material in road building, and the bio-based alternative is expected to significantly improve the sector’s environmental footprint.Addressing the CSIR Technology Transfer Ceremony in New Delhi, Mr Gadkari congratulated Council of Scientific and Industrial Research on achieving the milestone, noting that the initiative would help curb ..

Infrastructure Urban

09 Jan 2026

HILT Policy Seen Boosting Telangana Revenue Sharply

The Hyderabad Industrial Land Transformation (HILT) Policy is expected to generate around Rs 1.08 billion in revenue for the Telangana state exchequer, according to Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka Mallu. Speaking in the Telangana Legislative Assembly, he said the policy would be implemented within a six-month timeframe in a transparent manner, with uniform rules applicable to all stakeholders. Mr Vikramarka noted that without the HILT Policy, the state would have earned only about Rs 1.2 million per acre. Under the new framework, however, revenue is projected to rise sharply to Rs 70 ..

Infrastructure Urban

09 Jan 2026

India Post, MoRD Tie Up to Boost Rural Inclusion

The Department of Posts and the Ministry of Rural Development have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to accelerate rural transformation and expand financial, digital and logistics services for Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and rural households across India. The agreement was signed in the presence of Union Minister of Communications and Development of North Eastern Region Jyotiraditya M. Scindia and Union Minister of Rural Development and Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan. The collaboration aligns with the government’s “Dak Sewa, Jan Sewa” vision and seeks to repositi..