Mumbai: Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, chaired a high-level meeting in Mumbai on Monday, unveiling an ambitious plan to revitalize and expand India’s inland waterways infrastructure. The roadmap includes making 76 waterways operational by 2027 and driving an incremental cargo growth of 156 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) by FY 2026. These initiatives are part of the broader Maritime India Vision 2030.
During the meeting of the Consultative Committee on Inland Waterways Transport, the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) presented a detailed review of current and future projects, as well as upcoming policy directives. Several Members of Parliament (MPs) expressed their support for the plan, calling for enhanced budgetary allocations to accelerate the development of the sector.
Read More: Centre to Invest Rs1,000 Crore More in Inland Waterways Projects in Northeast by 2026: Sonowal
Expanding the Reach of Inland Waterways
By FY 2027, India aims to significantly increase the reach of inland water transport, expanding from 11 states in FY 2024 to 23 states and 4 Union Territories. This expansion is bolstered by the announcement of Rs 1,400 crore worth of projects in January 2025 under the Inland Waterways Development Council (IWDC) meeting. These projects include extensive longitudinal surveys of 10,000 km to assess the Least Available Depth (LAD) for enhanced navigability.
Minister Sonowal emphasized the growing importance of inland waterways in India’s transport and logistics ecosystem, calling it a “watershed moment” for the sector. He highlighted legislative and programmatic measures, such as the National Waterways Act, 2016, the Inland Vessels Act, 2021, and flagship schemes like the Jal Marg Vikas Project, Arth Ganga, and Jal Samriddhi, which are facilitating this transformation.
Key Infrastructure Developments
One of the focal points of the development plan is the creation of a Regional Waterways Grid to allow seamless movement of vessels along key transport corridors. The Varanasi-Dibrugarh economic corridor, spanning 4,067 km, will be one of the marquee initiatives. This corridor, which will use the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol (IBP) route, is expected to handle 32.2 MMTPA of cargo by 2033.
On National Waterway-1 (NW-1), which runs along the Ganga, a 1,390 km waterway is being upgraded to accommodate 1,500–2,000 DWT vessels. The government is also focusing on developing major cargo terminals in key locations such as Varanasi, Kalughat, Sahibganj, and Haldia to support this growth.
In the Northeast, the government has proposed a Rs 5,000 crore roadmap for developing National Waterways-2 (Brahmaputra), National Waterways-16 (Barak), and National Waterways-31 (Dhansiri). This will include permanent terminals, a Rs 208 crore ship repair facility at Pandu, and a Rs 180 crore road connectivity project to support regional logistics and industries like Numaligarh Refinery Ltd. (NRL).
A Focus on Sustainability
The government is also prioritizing sustainability within the inland waterways sector. As part of this effort, the Harit Nauka guidelines have been introduced to procure electric catamarans and hydrogen fuel cell-powered vessels. Additionally, urban water transport and eco-friendly cruise tourism are being promoted through initiatives such as Water Metro Projects.
The river cruise tourism sector is witnessing impressive growth. Since 2013, the number of luxury cruise vessels operating on Indian rivers has increased from three to 25 in 2024-25. Furthermore, 15 cruise circuits are now operational across 13 National Waterways in nine states, and the government plans to expand this by introducing 51 new circuits by 2027. World-class terminals for river cruises are under construction in Kolkata, and feasibility studies are underway for new terminals in Varanasi and Guwahati.
Promoting Cruise Tourism and Regional Economic Development
Minister of State for Ports, Shipping & Waterways, Shantanu Thakur, also addressed the meeting, emphasizing the government’s efforts to expand cruise tourism through strategic partnerships and Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with private enterprises. “We are expanding cruise operations across key rivers like the Ganga, Brahmaputra, and Yamuna, which will not only boost tourism but also contribute to regional economic development,” he said.
Support from Parliamentarians
The meeting was attended by several Members of Parliament, including Shatrughan Prasad Sinha, Bibhu Prasad Tarai, Hibi Eden, MK Raghavan, Naba Charan Majhi, Abhimanyu Sethi, and Seema Dwivedi. They reviewed the progress of inland waterway projects in states such as Odisha, Jammu & Kashmir, Goa, Kerala, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu.
The bold plans outlined at the meeting underscore the government’s commitment to revitalizing India’s inland waterways, positioning them as a key component of the nation’s transportation and economic future.
