Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) Sarbananda Sonowal on Thursday lauded the rapid modernisation of India’s inland waterways—especially in the Northeast—at the North East Oil & Gas Conclave 2025.
He explained that this progress would unlock major economic opportunities, adding that it would also help in strengthening the petroleum supply chain and export routes connecting Assam with Bangladesh and Southeast Asia.
"The renewed focus on Inland Water Transport (IWT) ... has not only revived one of the oldest and proven conduits of economic prosperity but also repurposed the economic activity and prosperity in the hinterland of the region," he said at the event.
Glad to address the North East Oil & Gas Conclave 2025, organised by @FollowCII in Guwahati. It was a privilege to highlight how the North East is rapidly emerging as a powerhouse of India’s energy security and a Hydrocarbon Hub.
— Sarbananda Sonowal (@sarbanandsonwal) November 20, 2025
Under the dynamic leadership of Hon'ble PM Shri… pic.twitter.com/LvETIAGMjW
According to Sonowal, the whopping 635 per cent increase in cargo volume—rising to 146 million tonnes last year, as compared to the 18 million tonnes earlier—was a remarkable result of Rs 1,000 crore from the Centre channelled towards inland waterway projects in the Northeast over the past two years, including permanent cargo terminals, ship repair facilities, tourist jetties, and urban water transport systems.
Other major changes have been a 767 per cent increase in operational waterways, a 233 per cent increase in investment and a 62 per cent increase in multimodal terminals.
Sonowal also noted that the India Maritime Week 2025 had seen the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) signing MoUs worth Rs 40,000 crore to enhance the efficiency of waterborne logistics.
"The Inland Waterways sector today stands as the backbone of energy transportation for the Northeast, reinforcing India’s energy security and unlocking new trade corridors,” the Union shipping minister said, noting that annual cargo movement on the 891-kilometre National Waterway 2 (NW-2) was nearing 6 lakh tonnes, driven by faster turnaround and reliable navigation.
With many jetties and terminals in Assam becoming major trade nodes in the cross-border petroleum supply chain, a Rs 239 crore ship repair facility at Pandu (an Assamese locality with an inland water terminal) is under development, expected to significantly reduce maintenance costs for river vessels that currently travel to Kolkata through Bangladesh for repairs.
A Rs 188 crore investment has also been made into building a Regional Centre of Excellence in Dibrugarh, which will train nearly 5,000 students in maritime skills and logistics operations.
New leadership
This comes amid a major leadership change at the IWAI on Thursday, with Chennai Port Authority and Kamarajar Port Ltd chairperson Sunil Paliwal appointed to the inland waterways body's top post.
The incoming civil servant will also see his chairman post temporarily upgraded to the Secretary level, a government notification said on Thursday, as per a Hindu report.
He succeeds Vijay Kumar, who had joined the MoPSW as a Secretary about a month ago, the report added.
