iwai: cargo ship to Assam via Bangladesh completes pilot trip

The MV Lal Bahadur Shastri, an Indian Waterways Authority (IWAI) vessel, completed its pilot voyage from Patna in Bihar to the port of Pandu here on Sunday, carrying food grains via Bangladesh. The vessel was received at the end of the voyage by Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal, along with Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Guwahati MP Lok Sabha Queen Oja and IWAI President Sanjay Bandopadhyay, among others.

A self-propelled vessel, MV Lal Bahadur Shastri was carrying 200 MT of food grains for Food Corporation of India (FCI).

IWAI plans to organize scheduled sailing between National Waterway-1 and National Waterway-2, heralding a new era of inland waterway transport for Assam and the Northeast, according to a statement. official.

The vessel had started its sail from Patna on NW-1 (Ganga River) on February 5 and sailed a distance of 2,350 km.

Another vessel, MV Ram Prasad Bismil, with two barges – Kalpana Chawla and APJ Abdul Kalam – started its journey from Haldia on February 17 and is on its way to Pandu, he added.

The ship has already reached the Bangladesh border at Dhubri (Assam).

Speaking on the occasion, Sonowal said, “Today marks the beginning of a new era of river transport in Assam. This will provide the business community with a viable, economical and environmentally friendly alternative.”

He said the seamless cargo transport is a journey of unfulfilled desires and aspirations of the people of Assam.

“The start of the movement of cargo through ships via the Indo Bangladesh Protocol Route (IBRP) marks the start of a new era of economic prosperity for the entire northeastern region,” Sarma said.