The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) has signed multiple memoranda of understanding (MoUs) totalling around Rs 30 billion to strengthen inland waterways and industrial connectivity in the Northeast region.
The first MoU was signed with Assam Petro‑Chemicals Limited for transporting methanol and formalin via inland waterways [via Indo Bangladesh Protocol Route (IBPR) and National Waterway-1/2] from Assam to Bangladesh and Southeast Asia, with an estimated investment of Rs 4 million. The second MoU, with the government of Assam, focuses on a Water Metro urban water transit system across the Brahmaputra in Guwahati, Dibrugarh and Tezpur, with a projected cost of around Rs 10 billion.
Additional partnerships include; an MoU with Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships to develop river lighthouse infrastructure at strategic locations like Bogibeel, Silghat, Biswanath Ghat and Pandu, enhancing navigation safety and tourism; an MoU with Rhenus Logistics valued at Rs 10 billion for deployment of tug-barges on the Ganga and Brahmaputra to boost cargo logistics; and initiatives across northeastern states, Mizoram, Nagaland, Manipur, Meghalaya, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh for inland water transport projects and river tourism development.