Watershed moment for Assam as National Waterway-57 is revitalised: Sarbananda Sonowal

New Delhi, Aug 2 In a historic step towards the revival of Assam’s river-based trade and sustainable logistics, National Waterway-57 (River Kopili) was operationalised on Saturday with the first-ever cargo trial run from the Govardhan Bridge in Chandrapur, Kamrup to Hatsingimari in South Samara.

According to the Ministry of Ports, the movement marks the resumption of intra-state waterborne freight transport in Assam after more than a decade.

Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal underlined this development as a ‘watershed moment’ for Inland Waterways Transport in Assam and the northeast.

The cargo vessel MV VV Giri, equipped with self-loading capacity, carried 300 metric tonnes of cement from Star Cement along the 300-kilometre route on the Kopili River (NW 57) and Brahmaputra river (NW 2), with a voyage time of approximately 12 to 14 hours.

With this development, more than 1168 kms of National Waterways in Assam have become operational, said Sarbananda Sonowal.

“This is a watershed moment for Assam. With the operationalisation of NW-57 on River Kopili, we are not only reviving a lost artery of trade within the state, but also taking a major step towards building an inland water transport system that is economical, efficient, and environmentally sustainable,” said Sonowal.

“With the resumption of cargo movement on four National Waterways of Assam — on Brahmaputra (NW 2), Barak (NW 16), Dhansiri (NW31) and Kopili (NW 57) — we have made 1168 kms of waterways operational, offering a reasonable, economic and effective alternative mode of transportation,” the minister added.

This is the first cargo trial movement on the 46 kms long NW-57 since 2014, making it a turning point in the revival of intra-state cargo through Assam’s river systems.

The operationalisation of this route is in line with the Maritime India Vision 2030 and PM Gati Shakti, which aim to establish sustainable, integrated, and efficient transport infrastructure across the country.

The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, has been proactively working on unlocking the navigational potential of rivers across the Northeast — including the Brahmaputra (NW-2), Barak (NW-16), Dhansiri (NW-31) and now Kopili (NW-57).

“The Kopili cargo movement is a symbol of the new Assam — connected, empowered, and aligned with India’s growth story. We are determined to build on this success and scale up cargo and passenger movement across all our major rivers. Waterways are not just a mode of transport; they are the arteries of regional prosperity,” said the minister.

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