Guwahati: Union Minister of Roads, Highways and Shipping Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday said the Centre will dredge the Brahmaputra river from Sadia in Upper Assam to increase navigational channels up to Chittagong port in Bangladesh.
“Once this project materialises, it will change the entire economic corridor of Assam,” Gadkari said during a review meeting with Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, which was attended by several state ministers and senior officials.
The project would ensure that the Brahmaputra National Waterway-II has direct access to Haldia port in West Bengal and Chittagong port in Bangladesh, and would boost trade with South East Asian nations, he said adding, discussion has already been held with the Bangladesh Government on dredging of the river.
Gadkari said the Centre would provide funds for development of 56 jetties on the banks of Brahmaputra and operationalise five more Roll-On and Roll-Off vessels to improve waterway communication in Assam.
He asked the state government to identify places on the banks of Brahmaputra which could be developed into ports and submit a feasibility report to the Union Ministry. Gadkari also reviewed the progress of several national highways and other projects related to construction of the Brahmaputra Express Highway and national waterways over river Brahmaputra. The first express highway project in the northeast region will be developed along the Brahmaputra river in Assam at an estimated investment of Rs 40,000 crore, Union Road Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Tuesday.
“Northeast is our priority. We are going to develop the first express highway of North East in Assam along the banks of Brahmaputra. This 1,300 km-long express highway is likely to incur an investment of Rs 40,000 crore,” Gadkari said. Making the announcement at the closing ceremony of the ‘Namami Brahmaputra’ festival here, the minister requested the Assam Chief Minister to carry out land acquisition work for the modern road.
“The land acquisition has to be done by the state. The sand the soil coming from the dredging of Brahmaputra will be utilised for construction of the road,” Gadkari said.
He said that the express highway will be axis-controlled and vehicles will be able to ply at very high speed.
The Centre will dredge the Brahmaputra river from Sadia in Upper Assam to increase navigational channels up to Chittagong port in Bangladesh. In Gadkari’s presence, a tripartite agreement was signed for dredging and construction of the express highway in Assam.
The agreement was signed between the Assam government, the National Highways Authority of India and the Inland Waterways of India. (PTI)
