Ganga and Brahmaputra ready to expand trade in goods and services: Sarbananda Sonowal

The Ganga and Brahmaputra river canals are ready for large-scale movement of goods and services, according to Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal.

Speaking at a ceremony marking the arrival of the tourist vessel MV Ganga Vilas, Sonowal said the focus is on developing the economic potential of the Brahmaputra River.

The ship completed the world’s longest river cruise in Dibrugarh (Assam) on Tuesday. He said that the successful completion of the river cruise from Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) to Dibrugarh was a reflection that the waterway was well prepared for the movement of goods and people.

Sonowal said the Brahmaputra River will unlock the economic potential of the country’s northeastern region by providing easy and quick access to goods and services in the region.

When asked about the need for export-oriented companies to access port connectivity, he replied: “Such routes are already available in Pandu (Guwahati, Assam). We have successfully completed two trips from Patna to Pandu (2350 km). One was for 200 metric tons (mt) of food grain,” adding that 1800 mt of steel (for Tata Steel) was also transported on the same principle from Haldia port.

“It traveled 1600 kilometers (km) to reach Pandu,” he said.

According to Sonowal, the Brahmaputra was found to be suitable as a shipping channel with no lack of depth across the river. This allowed the large cruise ship to move around comfortably. “There were many naysayers who said it would be able to complete the route. They have been proven wrong and it is now clear that there is enough water in the Ganga and Brahmaputra river systems,” he said.

The MV Ganga Vilas undertook a 50-day journey crossing 27 rivers, 5 states and 2 countries to culminate in Dibrugarh, Assam. This was not only the longest river cruise, but also the longest distance traveled by a single ship in river systems. I And under