Assam: Sarbananda Sonowal Dedicates IWT Terminal at Jogighopa to the Nation

JOGIGHOPA-  The Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurated the Inland Waterways Terminal (IWT) at Jogighopa as he dedicated to the people of the nation here today.

Marking the occasion, a ship with two barges was flagged off MV Padma Navigation II, along with Barges Ajay & Dikshu, by the Union Minister with 110 metric tonnes of coal along with stone chips to Bangladesh. The foundation stone for the Terminal was laid by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in February, 2021.

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The terminal holds strategic importance as it is located at a distance of 91 km from Gelephu in Bhutan, 108 km from Bangladesh border and 147 Km from Guwahati. This makes it crucial for our bilateral trade ties with Bangladesh and Bhutan.

The Jogighopa terminal is also one of the declared Ports of call under PIWT&T between India and Bangladesh. By the year 2027, this terminal is expected handle cargo of 1.1 million tonnes per annum. The MV Padma Navigation II ship along with Barges Ajay and Dikshu are carrying 110 Metric Tonnes of Coal, while MV Trishul is carrying Stone Chips to Bangladesh.

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Speaking on the occasion, Sarbananda Sonowal, said, “ Through strategic regional projects and agreements with neighbouring countries such as Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar and others, India is diligently establishing itself as a pivotal waterway gateway for the facilitation of enhanced regional trade and seamless transport connectivity thus contributing to the overall development and integration of South Asia, while ensuring the sustainability and vitality of the region’s economic landscape.

Built at a cost of more than ₹82 crores, the Jogighopa terminal has an RCC jetty with an RCC approach designed for Electric Level Luffing (ELL) crane for cargo handling. The terminal also has infrastructural facilities such as administrative building, customs office building, immigration office, truck parking area, 1100 sqm covered storage area with power back up, and 11,000 sqm open storage.

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The event was attended by His Excellency Lyonpo Namgyal Dorji, Minister of Industries, Commerce & Employment, Royal Govt of Bhutan; Ranjeet Kumar Dass, Minister of Panchayat & Rural Development, Govt of Assam; Bimal Borah, Minister of Industries & Commerce, Enterprises, Govt of Assam; Jogen Mohan, Minister of Transport, Govt of Assam; Phani Bhushan Choudhury, MP (Barpeta); Rakibul Hussain, MP (Dhubri); Pradip Sarkar, MLA (Abhyapuri South); Vijay Kumar, Chairman, IWAI among other dignitaries.