Gadkari to flag off cargo shipment via NW 2 on Brahmaputra

Union minister Nitin Gadkari will flag off the first movement of cargo through the National Waterway (NW) 2, in Assam, on Friday, in an effort to kick-off the transportation of goods via the country’s rivers.

The idea is to develop the Brahmaputra River (NW2) for commercial navigation and the efforts are part of renewed focus over the last three years to promote inland water transport in the North East Region (NER).

"Marking a new milestone towards Government of India's constant endeavours to promote economically more viable and environment friendly modes of transport in the country, two barges of 200-metric tonne capacity each will carry 400 tonnes of cement from the Inland Waterways Authority of India's Pandu Port to Dhubri covering a distance of 255 kilometres. With this, the IWAI will be initiating regular cargo movement through inland waterways under the Sagarmala programme," the Ministry of Shipping said in a statement.

Gadkari, the Minister for Shipping, Road Transport & Highways, and Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation, will flag off the first movement of cement cargo through Na- tional Waterway 2, on river Brahmaputra, in Assam, on Friday, under the Shipping Ministry's flagship programme - Sagarmala.

He will also lay the foundation stone for bank protectionwork of the Majuli island in presence of Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal. "Transportation of cargo through Natonal Waterway (NW) 2 from Pandu to Dhubri will help save 1,50,000 tonnes of road transportation per trip and 300 km of road travel while reducing thelogistics costs. Notably, where one horse power can move 150 kg on road and 500 kg on rail, it can move 4,000 kg onwaterways," the government statement said.