Waterways Meet Approves Major Infra Investments

VIJAYAWADA: The third meeting of the Inland Waterways Development Council in Kochi concluded with a comprehensive roadmap to expand India’s inland water transport network.

The meeting also approved major infrastructure investments and resolved to strengthen Centre–state coordination to unlock the full economic potential of the country’s rivers.

The council heard about the development of Ro-Ro and cargo terminals at Muktyala and Harishchandrapuram on the Krishna river in Andhra Pradesh, which would strengthen cargo movement.

Chaired by Union waterways and ports minister Sarbananda Sonowal, the day-long meeting was also attended by Mukesh Agnihotri, deputy chief minister of Himachal Pradesh; Sharwan Kumar, roads minister of Bihar; KG Kenye, power minister from Nagaland; Ojing Tasing, rural development minister from Arunachal Pradesh; Daya Shankar Singh, transport minister from Uttar Pradesh and Barinder Kumar Goyal, water resources minister from Punjab.

The meeting identified projects worth more than `1,500 crore, aimed at accelerating green mobility, strengthening multimodal logistics and promoting river-led economic development.

Foundation stones were laid for projects exceeding `150 crore, including river cruise jetties in Kerala, Gujarat, Karnataka, Odisha and Telangana, supporting the expansion of cruise tourism circuits across the country, the meeting was told.

Sarbananda Sonowal said inland waterways have emerged as a strategic pillar of the nation’s transport and logistics transformation. “Our dynamic Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji has given special impetus to inland waterways, which has eased congestion on roads, reduced logistics costs and strengthened ease of doing business,” he said.

He added, “Inland waterways have become a strategic pillar of India’s multimodal logistics framework. Guided by this vision, rivers are no longer viewed merely as natural resources but as economic lifelines driving growth, sustainability and connectivity.”