<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:
"Times New Roman",serif">In a major infrastructure push to revolutionize
logistics in India’s northeastern frontier, the Central Government has
announced a comprehensive <b>₹4,800-crore master plan</b> to develop the
Brahmaputra River (National Waterway 2) into a high-capacity economic corridor.
Orchestrated by the <b>Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW)</b>
alongside the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), the capital
deployment will focus on heavy terminal automation, night navigation systems,
and deep-draft dredging across critical river stretches.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:
"Times New Roman",serif">The multi-billion rupee initiative is designed to
structurally lower cargo transit costs for the region, shifting heavy bulk
freight from congested highway networks onto energy-efficient inland container
vessels.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;
font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Terminal Scaling and Night Navigation
Networks<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<ul style="margin-top:0cm" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Multimodal
Hub Upgrades</span></b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;
font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">: A significant portion of the
₹4,800-crore allocation will go toward expanding and modernizing key river
terminals, including <b>Pandu, Jogighopa, and Dibrugarh</b>. These hubs
will be fitted with modern shore cranes, roll-on/roll-off (Ro-Ro) terminal
pads, and integrated container storage yards.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Continuous
Logistics Operations</span></b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">: To ensure 24/7 fleet movement,
the framework scales up the installation of advanced digital night
navigation systems and satellite-linked river charting. This setup will
allow cargo barges to safely traverse complex channels after sunset,
cutting total round-trip transit times by an estimated <b>35%</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;
font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Cross-Border Trade Corridors and Bulk
Cargo Integration<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<ul style="margin-top:0cm" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">The
Indo-Bangladesh Protocol Route</span></b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">: The infrastructure
push directly integrates National Waterway 2 with the <b>Indo-Bangladesh
Protocol (IBP) route</b>, securing seamless, low-cost maritime access to
the gateway ports of Chittagong and Mongla. This link opens up a highly
competitive export channel for regional commodities bound for
international markets.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Fueling
Heavy Industry</span></b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;
font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">: The economic corridor will heavily
prioritize the movement of industrial bulk goods, including tea,
agricultural produce, coal, cement, petroleum products, and heavy
engineering machinery. Moving these volumes via waterways is projected to
slash regional freight overheads by <b>25% to 30%</b>, boosting the market
competitiveness of local manufacturing units.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>