Assam: PM Modi to unveil foundation stones of ship repair facility at Pandu port in Guwahati

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 13, 2023, is set to unveil the foundation stones of a ship repair facility at Pandu in Guwahati and the connecting road to Pandu Port.

Notaby, major initiatives worth more than Rs 1,016 crore are planned for revamp of inland waterways in Assam till 2024-25.

With this, to maintain the fairway of waterways, a sum of Rs 233 crore is set for dredging of the Brahmaputra, Barak, Dhansiri and Kopili rivers.

According to a statement, the comprehensive package to develop the National Waterways 2 (NW 2) (Brahmaputra) and NW 16 (Barak) has been enhanced to Rs 622 crore.

''Prime Minister Narendra Modi will unveil the foundation stones for two major initiatives while inaugurating Maritime Skill Centre for Northeast to ramp up capacity in Pandu port in Guwahati on January 13, 2023.

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''The other initiatives are the ship repair facility at Pandu Multi-Modal terminal and an elevated road connecting with the Multi-Modal Terminal at Pandu with National Highway 27 in Guwahati,'' the statement said.

According to the statement, the ship repair facility at the Pandu Terminal will save time and money.

The facility will cater to vessels of IWT, government of Assam, IWAI, Indian Army, and those of private operators plying in NW-2 and 16.

Speaking on the occasion, Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways and Ayush, Shri Sarbananda Sonowal said, “Under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, our Ministry has taken up major initiatives to power the waterways of the region in order to convert them as the avenues of economic progress, development & growth of the region. Be it the cargo or passenger movement via waterways, we are planning and executing policies to build capacity in the region. In this regard, PM Modi ji will virtually unveil the foundation stones for major capacity building at Pandu port in Guwahati. We believe that this will serve as a major shot in the arm for the development of the region. We believe that our commitment to harnessing the magnificent prowess of the country’s rich river system will unpack immense opportunity. We believe that the innate beauty of waterways as a sustainable, economic & swift mode of transport will make us future ready & act as the driving engine of growth of new India.”

Sharing his views on the scheduled launch of Ganga Vilas world’s largest river cruise from Varanasi to Dibrugarh, Union Minister added, “Ganga Vilas will open up a new vista for tourism in the country. As the cruise will spend more than ten days in Assam, the foreign tourists will be able to explore and experience a new horizon of socio-cultural hue along the river coast. From Dhubri to Dibrugarh and from Mayong to Majuli, this cruise has curated an interesting journey where the natural beauty of Assam will be relished. Its success has also opened a new avenue of investment in river cruise tourism in Assam. We hope that its multiplier impact on the economy of the state will be manifold.” The Ganga Vilas will stop at Dhubri, Goalpara (Jogighopa), Guwahati (Pandu),  Pobitora, Tezpur, Silghat, and Nemati Ghat before anchoring at Dibrugarh (Bogibeel) in the state.

The Ship Repair facility at the Pandu Terminal will save time and money. The facility will cater for the repair of vessels of IWT, Govt. of Assam, IWAI, Indian Army,  and other private operators plying in NW-2 and 16. 

The dedicated road connecting the Pandu Terminal with the NH27 will enable 24-hour smooth & swift connectivity making a sound business proposition for cargo operators. The Maritime Skill Centre for Northeast will be instrumental in honing our rich talent pool and acquiring much-valued skill sets by the candidates for better employment opportunities in the bourgeoning logistics industry.